


The Fast and the Shiny

by yurimegami



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Polyamory, Street Racing, dia is too gay for this, mari is extra, more pairings later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-11-02 05:20:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10937835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurimegami/pseuds/yurimegami
Summary: Street racing AU: Mari is a racer, and in charge of street races in the area, Kanan is her girlfriend and mechanic. Dia, and her partner Hanamaru, are the detectives in charge of trying to bust Mari. But, it’s proving rather difficult, especially with feelings arising between the racer, mechanic, and detective.AKA Dia is too gay for this shit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cybernya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cybernya/gifts).



Dia felt her eye twitch as she began to read the paperwork in front of her.  Her fingers tapped against her desk at an alarming pace, signaling her annoyance to anyone nearby. “Unacceptable… absolutely unacceptable.” She muttered, annoyance rising to dangerous levels now.

This was the fifth complaint she’d received this month since the case had been passed onto her. They all consisted of the same thing: noise complaints from street races at odd hours of the night. Street racing! What sort of degenerates raced in the streets? There were race tracks for that! When she’d first accepted the case from an exasperated coworker she thought it would have been simple. After all, where could a crowd that large and cars that obnoxious escape to?

It turned out that it was apparently very easy for them to escape. The worst part was that they even had a name for the leader of the whole despicable operation. “Ohara Mari.” Dia practically growled. The woman was insufferable, from her high pitched voice, her random bouts of English, and her lack of _clothing_. But no matter what she did, she could never find any concrete evidence linking Mari to the races.

All that was ever left at any race once the police arrived was the blonde, leaning against one of her many cars with a grin on her face. Even now, she could practically see the blonde winking and grinning at her. Dia recalled the last words from their most recent exchange.

 _Better luck next time Dia. Ciao~!_  

Dia felt her eye twitch yet again. That was it! She’d had enough of this. She was a Kurosawa, and Kurosawa’s _did not_ fail.

“Kunikida-san!” Dia yelled and shot up from her desk.

“Z-zura!” The smaller woman responded, so startled she nearly dropped her morning tea.

“We’re leaving!” Dia stated as she grabbed her jacket and stormed toward the station’s garage entrance.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Hanamaru frantically trying to gather her things. Dia paused, and turned around to head to her partner’s desk. “I apologize for being so abrupt. It was uncouth.”

Hanamaru turned toward Dia, a smile on her lips. “Don’t worry Dia-san, I know how much this case means to you!”

Dia couldn’t help the fond smile that tugged at her lips. Hanamaru truly was the best partner Dia could have ever hoped for. Having been friends, and eventually more, with Ruby for such a long time had caused the two to become rather close. This was reflected greatly in their work, they had the highest clearance rate in the department, something Dia was  _very_ proud of.

“Well, let’s get going then Kunikida-san, we have to stop that _degenerate_.” And with that, Dia stormed her way out of the office and into the garage, this time with Hanamaru by her side.

“You know Dia-san, I’ve never seen you take a case this...personally.” Hanamaru paused and decided to choose her words carefully. “We’ve dealt with much worse crimes than this, zura.”

“Street racing is extremely dangerous Kunikida-san. There are no safety protocols, innocent bystanders are at constant risk of getting involved, not to mention gambling outside of a casino as illegal. And let’s not get into the traffic violations!” Dia huffed as she unlocked the doors to their work vehicle.

“I understand the dangers...but are you sure it’s not the person running this that’s getting you more worked up than the crime itself?” Hanamaru offered, avoiding eye contact as she entered the vehicle.

“E-excuse me?" Dia spluttered. "That woman does not get me _worked up_. She’s a nuisance and a danger, and I wish to stop her before she commits any more crimes!” Ohara Mari was not the source of her anger, it was her crimes! Not her stupidly smug face, and stupidly revealing attire, and stupidly entirely inappropriate use of the English language.

“Okay, okay.” Hanamaru yielded, deciding it’d be safer for her to drop the matter for now. “So where exactly are we headed to, zura?”

“We’re going to stake out Ohara-san’s home today. I’ve been told she’s purchased a new vehicle. I’m hoping we can at least get a look at it, or catch her modifying it so we know what sort of vehicle we’re looking for. The car she always has with her when the police arrive is luxury, but nothing she could race with. If we at least know what sort of car she’s racing with, we may be able to track it back to where she’s hiding it.” Dia’s tone had grown serious, eyes narrowed into a sharp glare as she spoke. As much as she loathed to admit it, Ohara Mari was intelligent. The obnoxious blonde knew how to hide her crimes well.

Dia was unable to find any paper trails linking Mari to the purchase of the parts needed to build or modify her racing cars, and any eyewitnesses to the races always claimed they’d seen nothing, something Dia assumed could only be attributed to Mari’s vast wealth. And the cars, the damned cars, could never be found! Whenever the police got called to the scene of a race the cars were all gone!

“You’re biting your lip again.” Hanamaru warned gently, snapping Dia out of her thoughts.

“Ah, thank you.” Dia responded as the pair stopped at an intersection. She’d been so lost in thought she was nearly on auto-pilot. The pair were already on their way to Mari’s residence.

“What are your thoughts on the matter, Hanamaru-san?”

“Well…” Hanamaru paused a pout tugged at her lips as she thought. “With no paper trail connecting her to racing vehicles, and no concrete evidence of her participating and leading the races, there’s not much we can do. Our best bet would be, like you said, discovering what vehicle she even drives, or anticipating where her next race may be… but she’s pretty inconsistent with where and when they are, zura.”

Dia sighed. It appeared they were on the same page, and it was a rather empty page.

“Maybe we co--Dia-san! Look out!” Dia looked at the road and gasped, slamming on the breaks as a woman jumped out into the street before her. When the car came to a stop Dia threw it into park and turned on her lights before exiting the vehicle.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Do you know how dangerous it is to just run across the street like that?” Dia was fuming at this point. What would she have done if she had hit a pedestrian? She would have never been able to live with herself.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I saw him crossing the street and I kind of couldn’t help myself!” The woman responded and turned towards Dia with one hand sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, the other clutched what appeared to be a very matted kitten.

Dia found herself at a loss for words as she took in the woman’s appearance. Long blue hair tied into a high ponytail, strikingly violet eyes, and a rather large- wait a minute! This woman was wearing a mechanic’s jumper zipped down to her waist, with just a bikini top beneath it! “W-what do you think you’re wearing in the middle of the street?!” She exclaimed and quickly removed her own jacket. She placed her jacket on the woman’s shoulders with it in an attempt to cover her.

“Eh? This is fine isn’t it? And please take your jacket back! I don’t want to get it dirty, I’m pretty sweaty from the shop.”

Dia gulped as she realized the stranger was indeed sweaty, and not in an entirely unpleasant way. Thankfully, Hanamaru halted her thoughts before they could derail any further.

“Ok, how about we pull the car over Dia-san, and you said something about a shop…” Hanamaru paused as she waited for the stranger to fill them in on her name.

“Kanan.” She responded casually, as if she hadn’t almost been hit by a car trying to rescue a kitten while nearly topless.

“Right, Kanan-san. You said something about a shop so how about we head over there and make sure this little guy is alright, zura.”

Moments like these reminded Dia just how lucky she was to have Hanamaru for a partner. “R-right. I will move the vehicle now, then.” Dia responded and mentally scolded herself for her stutter as she made quick work of turning off her sirens and parking the car.

“Well, this way then!” Kanan called from across the street and entered a building through an open garage door.

Dia took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself as she carefully crossed the street.

_Here goes nothing._


	2. Chapter 2

Dia let out a soft hum of appreciation. After the way she’d met Kanan, Dia had expected to see a rather unorganized work space. Instead, Dia was met with an impeccable garage with what seemed to be all state of the art equipment. “I must say… I’m impressed…”

“Thanks! I have a very… generous boss.” Kanan responded with a small smirk and a light blush painted across her cheeks.

Dia raised a brow. Before she could question the matter though, Kanan had approached what Dia assumed to be her workbench, and placed the kitten down on top of it. The small matted bundle of grey fur began to move and sniffed carefully at the surface below it.

“Well he doesn’t seem to be hurt… just hungry and in need of a good bath!” Kanan stated proudly with a grin on her lips.

“Are you going to keep him, zura?”

As if responding to Hanamaru’s statement, the kitten moved towards Kanan and nuzzled its head into her hand.

“Well, I guess I don’t have much of a choice…” The mechanic responded fondly as she scratched the kitten beneath its chin.

Dia wasn’t entirely comfortable with the sudden warmth blooming in her chest, so she decided to shift the conversation to something else. “Well now that this is settled, I’d like to again, tell you how dangerous what you did was. Although it was was admirable, you’d do well to avoid running into traffic again.”

Kanan responded with a laugh as she removed Dia’s jacket and placed it on the detective's shoulders where it belonged. Unfortunately for Dia’s heart, Kanan didn’t immediately remove her hands, and instead kept their warm weight on Dia’s shoulders. “I appreciate your concern Miss Detective, and I’ll do my best to avoid running into traffic again. But I wouldn’t say it was all bad, hm?” She finished with a wink, causing Dia’s body to feel entirely too _warm._

This was bad, very bad. Dia was cool, intelligent, composed, and god, were Kanan’s eyes pretty.

“Do you hear that noise?” Hanamaru interrupted, she truly was Dia’s savior.

Dia’s eyes narrowed as she turned away from Kanan’s grasp and toward the garage’s entrance. Perhaps the brightest yellow car Dia had ever seen, pulled into the garage, blasting what sounded like nothing but guitar and metal pipes slamming together through its speakers. And just as Dia thought her annoyance couldn’t worsen any further, the car door opened.

“Oh! Dia! Shinyyy~” Mari called as she closed the car door behind her and approached the detecitve.

“What does that even mean? The word shiny has no place there!” Dia snapped, her eye had already begun to twitch again. No, she needed to calm down. She couldn’t let Mari work her up; that would prove Hanamaru right. A smug Hanamaru was something Dia _did not_ want to deal with.

“What are you doing here Ohara-san?” Dia questioned. The detective stood up straight and crossed her arms in an attempt to make herself seem more intimidating. Although she was certain her normal tactics against suspects wouldn't work quite as well with Mari.

“I should be asking you that. I’m here to see my girlfriend.” Mari responded as she stepped past Dia and towards Kanan. “Oh! What’s this? A kitten!” The blonde approached the gray bundle and scratched behind its ears.

“Ah, yeah, I caught him running through traffic today… seems to have taken a liking to me though, so I guess we’ll have to keep him.” Kanan responded sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Oh! What a hero~” Mari sang and pulled the mechanic into a kiss that was entirely too inappropriate to be shared in front of an audience.  

Again, Dia felt a warmth spread through her at the sight before her. It only further served to anger her, because this time, Mari was a source of the warmth spreading through her. A small moan resounded through the room and that was it. Dia couldn’t take anymore. She had to say something, _anything,_ to get away from these feelings.

“I’m not sure if you could bare being civilized for a moment Ohara-san, but I’d like you to look at me, so I can tell you this face to face.” Dia snarled, hoping what she was sure was a flush on her face didn’t take away from her glare.

Mari pulled away from Kanan with a wet _pop_ that Dia imagined was on purpose and turned toward Dia, a flushed Kanan looked on curiously. “You know, you’re pretty cute when you’re angry.” Mari hummed and booped Dia’s nose with a smirk before she slowly dragged her finger down past the detective’s lips.

Dia took a step closer, fighting past the annoying warmth in her chest. “I just want you to know, I _will_ catch you, and I _will_ stop you.”

“Oh! This sounds like it could be fun!” Mari paused to clap her hands together. “Let’s make a deal, hmm?”

“I don’t make deals with criminals, Ohara-san.” Dia responded flatly. Her foot had begun to tap against the floor in annoyance.

“Even if it means I’ll turn myself in if you win?” Mari sang and leaned forward and getting into Dia’s personal space yet _again._

“ _What?_ ” Kanan, Dia, and Hanamaru all said at once.

“Yes! One month!” Mari exclaimed and held one finger towards Dia. “I have one month to try and get you to go on a date with Kanan and I; if you can resist for a whole month, I’ll turn myself in!”

Dia stood silently for a moment in an attempt to process what Mari had just said to her. All she had to do was resist Mari’s advances for a month? And the woman would turn herself in? Mari couldn’t possibly be that stupid, she must have thought she had some sort of trick up her sleeve. But it didn’t matter. Dia was confident she’d have no trouble avoiding Mari’s advances for a month. Besides, if the blonde planned on spending more time with her, it would make it all the easier for the detective to catch her with _actual_ evidence.

“Deal.” Dia responded and extended her hand to shake on the agreement.

"Exciting!” Mari sang and grabbed Dia's hand. “I’ll be seeing you soon then, Dia.” She whispered before she placed a kiss on Dia’s cheek and pulled away.

 _Again,_ that infuriating warmth ran through Dia. She had to go, she couldn’t stay here any longer. “Well then, now that this is settled, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Kanan! Say bye to the lovely detective too!” Mari said as she casually hopped up onto the mechanic’s workbench, legs crossed in a way that had Dia flushing even further.

“Oh! I guess I’ll be seeing you around too Miss Detective.” Kanan winked at Dia before she peered over her shoulder at Hanamaru. “It was nice meeting you too.”

“It was very nice meeting you as well, Kanan-san, and I suppose I’ll be seeing more of you in the future, Mari-san.” Hanamaru responded with a small bow and smile before she scurried after Dia who'd already stormed out of the garage.

“Kunikida-san, let’s go. We’re going back to the station. We now have a new lead, and it’s Kanan.”

“But, what about the deal, zura?” Hanamaru questioned as she looked over her shoulder at the garage.

“I won’t give her the satisfaction of getting that far. Besides…” Dia paused and followed Hanamaru’s gaze. Inside Kanan and Mari gave attention to their newly adopted kitten.

_I’m not sure I can handle it._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari and Kanan make a surprise visit.

Dia let out a small grunt as she rubbed her temples, her migraine only growing worse by the minute. The detective had been so confident that Kanan would somehow lead her to something she could use against Mari, but researching the mechanic proved to be in vain. This past week had led her no closer to finding anything.

There weren’t any transactions made directly from Mari to Kanan, so she assumed Mari only paid the mechanic in cash. Kanan’s record was another dead end as well. The woman had never been in trouble from the looks of it, and her presence on social media was null.

A dead end. Another damned dead end. Dia found herself in dead ends more than she would like when it came to Ohara Mari, and it infuriated the detective just as much as it intrigued her. The woman was one big contradiction and the fact it actually fascinated Dia made her feel a bit ill.

“Dia-san, you’re groaning again, zura.”

Dia was snapped out of her internal monologue by Hanamaru, her savior _yet again_. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to disturb y--oh you’re leaving?” Dia glanced at the time on her computer and let out another small groan.

“It’s date night with Ruby isn’t it? And I kept you here so late, I apologize.”

“It’s okay! Tonight is movie night, so there’s no rush.” Hanamaru paused and reached into her purse to remove a bottle of pain relievers. “I know that even if I convince you to go home, you’d just work twice as hard there. So, please take these, at least.”

Dia couldn’t help but smile as she grabbed the bottle of medication. Hanamaru treated her just as well was Ruby did, and it warmed her heart.

“Let me walk you out, I’ll stop in the kitchen and take these, and get myself something to eat once I see you safely to Ruby.”

Hanamaru let loose a small laugh. “All these years and you still have to escort us both. Always the big sister, huh?”

Dia looked around the precinct to make sure the coast was clear before she reached a hand out to pat Hanamaru’s head. “Always.” She directed a soft smile at her partner before she pulled her hand away and returned to her usual workplace demeanor.

“Now get going. Don’t keep my sister waiting, Kunikida-san.” Dia stated before she spun on her heel and made her way toward the precinct’s small kitchen.

“Goodnight Dia-san, please try to get some rest.”

Once Dia heard the precinct doors shut behind her she hurried to the kitchen and ignored the knowing chuckles of her colleagues. Dia quickly made her way over to the window situated above the kitchen sink that offered the best view in the precinct of the parking lot. She tapped her fingers against the counter as she waited. Thankfully, the wait was brief and Hanamaru and Ruby soon came into view.

With a sigh of relief, the detective turned away from the window, allowing her sister and her partner the privacy they deserved as they embraced. Dia made her way to the fridge and sifted through its contents in disdain before she found her own neatly labeled yogurt and a water bottle.

“Yoohoo~”

Dia jumped and hit her head on the top of the fridge. The detective cursed as she stood up and slammed the door shut. Dia quickly whipped her head around toward the noise only to find the source of it to be entirely unwanted and unexpected.

“Ohara-san, what on Earth are you doing here?” She practically growled.

“Oh no! Are you okay? I really didn’t think you’d hit your head.” The blonde stated with what appeared to be a genuine frown as she approached Dia.

“I told you not to sneak up on her Mari.” Kanan spoke from behind Mari, making Dia aware of her presence.

“I’m fine.” Dia spat as she approached Mari and grabbed her by the collar. “Come with me to my office, where the both of you will explain what you’re doing in my precinct.”

Mari for her part, allowed Dia to drag her to her office, an amused grin on her face the whole time. An equally amused Kanan followed behind the pair. Thankfully Dia’s coworkers knew better than to question her, and all pointedly looked away from the display.

Once safely behind the closed door of Dia’s office, she directed Mari toward a chair. “Now sit and tell me what the hell you’re doing here.”

“Hello to you too, Dia. What’s wrong with me coming by to visit my future girlfriend~?” Mari stood up and prodded at the various items on Dia’s desk.

“Why don’t we take a minute to calm down there, hmm?” Kanan intervened, a calloused hand reaching out to remove the water bottle, yogurt, and medication from Dia’s now far too firm grasp. “We really didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just, Mari and I were a little concerned when we’d heard you’ve been holed up in your office for most of the past week.” The mechanic ended her sentence with a small shrug and a hesitant smile that immediately soothed the mounting tension in Dia’s shoulders.

“Well I appreciate the concern but it’s entirely inappropriate for the two of you to just sh--wait a minute. How did you two even know that I’ve been spending a lot of time here?” Dia questioned and turned from Kanan to Mari, who had taken it upon herself to spin in her desk chair, far too fast.

“Pretty bomber head!” Was Mari’s response once Dia approached her and forcibly stopped the chair from spinning anymore.

“What does that even mean? And get out of my chair!” Dia spat, and there it was. All the tension Kanan had dissipated was back, thanks to less than a minute of Ohara Mari.

“You’re better off not worrying about it, trust me. And I feel like maybe we should talk about how yogurt and pain relievers aren’t exactly a balanced diet, Miss Detective.” And as hard as Dia fought to not succumb to that charming grin Kanan shot her, she found herself failing.

_Curse all of these pretty women ruining my life._

“Yes! Miss Detective!” Mari began before she cleared Dia’s desk in a careful manner that Dia hadn’t believed the blonde was even capable of. “We brought you dinner! Authentic Italian! Let’s hope this will be the first time of many you’ll be eating Italian~” Mari finished her sentence with a wink that left Dia feeling horribly flustered.

“Insatiable.” Kanan chuckled before she opened the bag of takeout Mari had plopped in front of Dia. “We weren’t sure what you liked, and Mari insisted on Italian for the sake of that joke. I hope this is alright…”

Dia sighed and took a moment to look at the food placed before her before she turned her attention to the two expectant women waiting for her response. This was all terribly contradictory. She was trying to get Mari arrested for god’s sake, and here she was with her girlfriend, bringing her dinner! But despite her exasperation, Dia couldn’t quite bring herself to be genuinely angry at the pair. They did go out of their way to bring her dinner at 10 P.M. on a Friday night.

“Thank you.” Dia paused as she decided to choose her next words carefully. “I appreciate the concern, although I am a bit weary of your source for this information.”

“Great! Dai, mangiamo!” Mari cheered before she sat down and grabbed her own meal.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I know better than to question her random use of Italian there.” Dia stated with a sigh before she opened up a container of tupperware with what appeared to be some sort of fish dish that made Dia’s stomach grumble, much to her embarrassment.

Deciding to not let this moment drag on any further, Dia began to eat, and a small groan left her lips. The detective wasn’t familiar with whatever type of seafood this was, but she had to admit, it was delicious.

“Well, I take it she likes it then, Mari.” Kanan stated with a grin as she took a bite of her own food.

Dia pointedly looked away as the mechanic licked sauce from her lips. God, she needed help, how could watching someone eat fluster her?

“Oh the swordfish! Very nice! I knew she’d have good taste.” Mari responded smugly as she took a slow bite off of her own fork and held Dia’s gaze.

“Wait a minute, swordfish? You brought me swordfish? Isn’t that a bit expensive to bring over to someone who’s trying to arrest you for dinner?”

“Nothing is too expensive for my future girlfriend.” Mari stated matter of factly.

How could she say something like that with such ease? Despite their silly bet, Dia was still trying to arrest Mari. She’d only even agreed to the bet in the hopes that getting closer to Mari and Kanan, in turn, would allow her to get some sort of evidence. She had no intention of dating either of them. 

Mari shot Dia a wink before she placed a kiss on Kanan’s cheek. Well, her having no intention of dating them is what Dia _told_ herself, anyway.

The rest of their brief dinner was filled with small talk, mostly Mari making terrible jokes and Kanan laughing at them. Sometimes even Dia found herself offering the occasional smile. And when dinner was over Mari shot up and immediately made her way over to Dia and hovered behind the detective. “Oh! My Instagram! Were you checking me out, Miss Detective?”

Dia rolled her eyes and tried to fight back a flush as Mari’s arms came around Dia to use her mouse and keyboard. “I was not ‘checking you out,’ I was hoping to find some sort of evidence of your races, but you’re a lot smarter than you let on, Ohara-san.”

The blonde chuckled in Dia’s ear and leaned forward even more to start typing. The detective nearly groaned as she felt Mari’s chest press into the back of her head. Dia turned her gaze toward Kanan in a meager cry for help but she found the mechanic smiling knowingly.

_Uncouth. Completely uncouth and underhanded. Using their bodies to mess with my head._

“Ah, here we go! Kanan’s Instagram!” Mari said triumphantly and snapped Dia back to reality.

“What? I looked everywhere for her, I couldn’t find it anywhere.” The detective responded as her eyes turned to the screen. Dia immediately regretted the decision.

On her screen sat something Dia was sure was entirely too inappropriate to be on her work computer. She silently thanked whatever being put her on this Earth that her internet activity wasn’t very closely monitored. Kanan’s instagram was filled with images of both herself and Mari in various states of dress, most of which included the bare minimum state of dress. It appeared Kanan had a passion for diving, and had no shame in taking pictures of herself in and out of her wetsuit.

“That’s because her name isn’t on her account, and I made her username Diver Daddy.” Mari stated, as if it was some sort of achievement to think of such an absurd username.

“Diver Daddy?” Dia responded incredulously, eyes still locked onto a particular picture of both Mari and Kanan in the water, Kanan hoisting Mari up in the air effortlessly.

“Well, she’s a diver, and Kanan is daddy. Wouldn’t you agree, Dia?” Mari asked as she leaned forward to click on the particular picture Dia had been eyeing, enlarging it.

This was too much… Again, Dia felt herself being overwhelmed. The room felt too warm, she was all too aware of Mari pressing up against her and Kanan’s curious gaze on her. Everything felt too warm, too fuzzy, just too much. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to get closer to Mari and Kanan over the next month sure, but she wasn’t supposed to struggle with these damned feelings. That was it.

It was time to turn the tables.

“You know, I’d have to agree, Ohara-san. Kanan is daddy.” She kept her gaze focused on Kanan as she made the statement. The mechanics eyes immediately widened, and a splendid blush painted her cheeks in a way that made Dia feel just as triumphant as Mari had all evening.

Behind her Dia could feel Mari freeze for a moment before a boisterous laugh sounded from behind her. Mari stepped away from her and over to where Kanan now stood, still slightly flushed, but smiling. “Amazing! I like you more and more everyday, Miss Detective.” Mari said once she finally settled down.

“She’s definitely a keeper.” Kanan said with a smirk that only grew as Dia blushed.

“Well, if that’s all, it’s getting late and I have some work to finish up before I get home.” Dia paused and stood to hold her hand out for a handshake. “Thank you both for coming by and bringing me dinner. I appreciate it, but don’t expect that you’re going to win this bet, Ohara-san. I’ll have you behind bars soon enough.”

“I still have 3 more weeks Miss Detective, don’t be so sure.” Mari paused as she gently took hold of Dia’s hand just as Kanan grabbed her other hand. The pair each placed a kiss on the detective’s hands before they let go and smiled.

“It was nice to see you again, Dia. Hopefully we’ll be seeing you soon.”

Dia cleared her throat and straightened her posture before she spoke again. “It was nice seeing you again as well, Kanan-san. Goodnight to the both of you.”

Once the pair left Dia sat back down and let loose a long sigh as she rubbed her temples. She needed to step up her game if she had any hope of lasting through an entire month of both Kanan and Mari’s advances. The detective returned to her computer to get back to work she noticed Mari had still left Kanan’s Instagram open. Dia took a moment to steel her resolve before she scrolled through the photos, this time on her own. She ignored the heat that spread through her body as she came across quite a few workout shots.

One picture jumped out at Dia and she immediately clicked the image, eyes focused on the shop in the background. “Matsuura Diving…” Dia hummed as she opened another tab and searched for the shop. It appeared Dia would be paying a visit to Kanan’s family run shop.

“No one talks quite like family.” The detective stated with a smirk.


	4. Chapter 3.5 technically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Rubymaru chapter, not really relevant to the plot, just something I wanted to do.

Hanamaru smiled as she closed the precinct doors behind her. Despite how… overwhelming Dia came off as upon an initial meeting, she truly was a kind person. It was no surprise to Hanamaru that the love of her life had an equally lovely older sister like Dia.

“Maru-chan!” Speaking of the love of her life, there she was. The redhead stood outside the precinct, hands tucked into the pink hoodie she wore beneath her varsity jacket. Hanamaru nearly melted at the sight. Ruby knew how much Hanamaru loved to see her in that jacket, especially matched with a short skirt that sent her mind to places entirely inappropriate for a former shrine maiden.

“Ruby! Let’s get to the car before you freeze.” Hanamaru stepped forward and looped an arm through her girlfriend’s as she guided her toward the parking lot. As much as Hanamaru would’ve loved smothering Ruby in kisses then and there, she preferred not to face her teasing colleagues on Monday for doing it in front of the precinct.

As soon as the pair made it to Ruby’s car, Hanamaru pulled Ruby into a hug and hummed in content as she snuggled into the redhead’s neck. “I missed you, zura.”

“I missed you too. I'm happy onee-chan didn’t keep you too late.” Ruby wrapped her arms around Hanamaru and her hands soon delved into long locks as she scratched softly at her lover’s scalp.

“Head scratches and that outfit. You're spoiling me.” The detective was practically purring. There was nothing better than Ruby’s sweet smell and gentle touch.

“You deserve every bit of it.” The redhead paused to press a soft kiss to Hanamaru’s temple. “I love you.”

There it was. Those three words spoken in Ruby’s adorably high pitched voice never ceased to make Hanamaru’s heart flutter. They'd exchanged ‘I love you’s’ more times than Hanamaru could ever hope to count, and every time it felt like the first time. They were 16, hiding from the rain when Hanamaru had blurted out the words after Ruby had handed her that very same varsity jacket to keep her warm.

“Let’s get going. I need my Ruby recharge, zura.” Hanamaru stepped away with a newfound burst of energy, ready to get home as quickly as possible and have her girlfriend’s delicious warmth all to herself.

“Yes ma’am. As you wish, Detective Kunikida-san.” Ruby teased and gave a mock salute before she turned to hold the door open  for Hanamaru.

Hanamaru felt a familiar warmth bloom within her, a smile tugged at her lips. God, did she love this woman. “Well then. Chop chop, it’s uncouth to keep a lady waiting, you know.”

At that, Ruby giggled, especially since it appeared some of Dia’s vocabulary had begun to rub off on Hanamaru, and in the best of ways. “Okay okay, let’s go. I have the movie all set up for us already at home!” And with that Ruby entered the car and started it, ready to head home.

** ** ** **  
“Maru-chan! I can’t unlock the door with you hanging off of me like this!” Ruby giggled as Hanamaru only proceeded to snuggle further into her back, arms wrapped around her narrow waist tightly.

“But you're so cute and warm, zura.” Hanamaru whined and smiled against the soft skin of Ruby’s neck.

Ruby giggled in response as she fiddled with her keys before she finally managed to open the door, Hanamaru still practically hung off of her as they entered their apartment. The redhead managed to make it all the way to their bedroom before she wiggled out of Hanamaru’s grasp, much to the detective’s chagrin. “Rubyyyy.” The brunette whined, arms already reaching out for her girlfriend yet again.

“I’m just doing this so we can get undressed, cuddling won’t be very fun if you’re still in your suit.” Ruby pointed out as she removed her own varsity jacket. She'd just stepped out of her skirt when she felt arms wrapped around her yet again.

“Stay like that… keep the hoodie on, zura.” Hanamaru breathed into Ruby’s ear.

Ruby squeaked before she relaxed into her lover’s embrace. “I guess movie night is cancelled, huh?”

“There’s something I love watching more than any movie.” Hanamaru hummed, lips hot against Ruby’s neck as she kissed and nipped at the pale flesh. Ruby’s soft moan in response only encouraged Hanamaru all the more, and soft hands were soon on pale thighs as they explored the smooth expanse of her lover’s skin.

  
“Ah, you know, you’re the one who’s been w-working all day…” Ruby paused as another moan escaped her lips. Hanamaru had begun to bite at her collarbone. “Mmm, how about I take care of y-you first.”

With a surprising show of strength Ruby turned in Hanamaru’s grasp and pushed her lover toward the bed. “But Ruby tastes so good, zura.” The brunette whined as she sat on the bed. She'd begun to pout in the hopes her girlfriend would give in and let her get a taste of what she so desperately wanted.

Ruby gulped as she felt warmth pool in her stomach and heat rush to her cheeks. Seeing someone as sweet as Hanamaru say something so incredibly lewd made Ruby feel far too warm and gods, did she want Hanamaru--and if there was one thing Ruby was good at, it was getting what she wanted.

The redhead shuffled on her feet, small hands twisted into the front of her hoodie. She carefully exposed more of her pale thighs as she moved. “Ruby just wants to make Maru-chan feel good… then Maru-chan can have Ruby all she wants… Is that okay?” Soft lips pulled into a small frown as Ruby shot her best pleading gaze at her lover.

Hanamaru felt heat course through her veins before it settled in a pool in her stomach. The detective nearly groaned.  This wasn’t fair. Ruby’s cute voice, her cute pose, her eyes, those damned emeralds that could get Hanamaru to do anything in the world. As much as the detective wanted her, to just grab her lover and mark every inch of Ruby’s pale flesh with her teeth, she couldn’t deny how undeniably wet she was, and how after a long day at work, feeling Ruby’s mouth against her own flesh was the sweetest reward.

“You’re a cheater, zura.” Hanamaru pouted as she pulled Ruby onto her lap arms wrapped around her lover’s small waist. “You can go first, but then I want every inch of you.”

“Yes ma’am.” Ruby teased before she Hanamaru into an open mouthed kiss that left the both of them moaning.

Ruby let her hips roll against Hanamaru’s. She caught each of Hanamaru's moans with her lips as she worked Hanamaru's blazer off of her. With the blazer out of the way, Ruby set to work on Hanamaru’s dress shirt. She pulled her lover's bottom lip between her teeth and sucked at the soft flesh as she finished up the last of the buttons.

Ruby pulled away just enough to speak against the brunette’s lips. “Lay down.”

Hanamaru found herself complying immediately. She quickly slipped out of her dress shirt and settled herself onto the bed. A small whine escaped her lilps as Ruby beganto unbutton her pants. Soft lips pressed wet kisses against her stomach in a manner that made Hanamaru entirely too wet and impatient. “Ruby, please.” She whined as a hand wrapped itself into each of Ruby's pigtails. She gently pushed the redhead toward where she needed her the most as soon as her pants had been tossed elsewhere.

Ruby smiled at her lover and nipped at the lace of Hanamaru’s panties against her hipbone. The detective groaned and pushed at her lover’s head again because Hanamaru just needed her lower.

The redhead finally obliged and pulled Hanamaru’s panties away, a warm tongue lapped at the detective’s wet center. She bucked in response to finally getting Ruby where she wanted her. Where she may or may not have been fantasizing about all day.

Ruby started with long and slow laps. She basked in the way Hanamaru squirmed against her tongue before she gently pressed a finger into her lover’s entrance. Ruby hummed when she found Hanamaru more than ready. Ruby slowly pulled her finger back before she pressed back into Hanamaru, her tongue worked at the detective’s clit with short laps as she slowly worked a second finger into her waiting heat.

The heady scent made Ruby’s mouth water, and as much as she wished, she could just delve in and enjoy the taste of her lover, she knew better than to apply too much stimulation too quickly. She set the pace with her fingers deep and slow. Ruby worked her way up to a faster pace and pressed her tongue more firmly against Hanamaru’s clit. Ruby quickly found herself lost in Hanamaru’s moans that filled the room. Hanamaru’s taste on her tongue was the most delectable of treats. Pale thighs that squeezed tightly against her head as her lover bucked made Ruby think that this wouldn't be the worst way to go.

Her pace increased with the urgency of Hanamaru’s cries, a mantra of Ruby’s name filled the room as her fingers worked into her lover’s wet core quickly. Ruby pulled Hanamaru's clit into her mouth and sucked firmly as her free hand worked at keeping Hanamaru’s hips in place. Ruby did her best to keep her strokes even as the detective approached her orgasm and her hips began to buck at a frantic pace.

“Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!” Hanamaru cried, fingers splayed in scarlet locks as she tugged Ruby as close as she could. Nothing but Ruby’s name and gasps escaped her lips as she shut her eyes.

Ruby felt the soft flood against her fingers as Hanamaru’s thighs tightened around her head even more. Her lover’s body grew taut for a moment before she released all the tension with a content sigh. Ruby slowed her pace to a stop. She pulled her fingers out of Hanamaru and into her own mouth, which caused Hanamaru to groan yet again. 

“You’re so unfair, zuraaaa.” Hanamaru whined and tiredly reached for Ruby in an attempt to pull her closer.

Ruby giggled and allowed Hanamaru to pull her. She quickly snuggled into the brunette's neck with a content sigh. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” She hummed, happy to let Hanamaru just fall asleep in post coital bliss, but it appeared the detective had different plans as Ruby soon felt hands against her thighs.

“Before you tell me that I don’t have to, I want to.” Hanamaru paused and pulled Ruby into a soft kiss. She groaned at her own taste on Ruby’s lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ruby responded and pressed her forehead against Hanamaru’s. The redhead soon gasped as Hanamaru’s fingers tugged at the elastic of her panties.

Hanamaru sunk lower and found Ruby wet, hot, and everything Hanamaru loved. The detective pressed soft and slow kisses against Ruby’s lips as she let her fingers drift through Ruby’s wetness before she settled a finger against her entrance.

“Maru-chan.” Ruby whined against her lips as she pressed a slow finger into Ruby’s waiting warmth, a hum of approval escaped her as she felt herself enveloped so intimately by the woman she loved.

Hanamaru slid another finger in. She knew Ruby was more than ready as she pressed her thumb against her lover’s clit and rubbed slow and soft circles against the sensitive flesh. She loved feeling Ruby’s moans against her lips as she slowly built her pace. Her thumb worked in tighter circles as she hooked her fingers inside of Ruby. Ruby's loud moan and the change in texture indicated Hanamaru had found what she wanted.

It didn’t take long for Ruby to come undone. Hanamaru felt Ruby’s shaky breath against her lips as wetness coated her fingers. The detective slowed her pace to a stop before she pulled out and brought her fingers to her own lips. She locked eyes with her lover as Ruby whined.

“You aren’t very fair either, Maru-chan.” Ruby mumbled as she nuzzled into Hanamaru. 

“Less talking, more cuddling and sleeping, zura.” Hanamaru mumbd, her eyes were already shut. She tucked Ruby against her neck as both her arms wrapped themselves firmly around Ruby's waist.

Ruby chuckled against her skin as Hanamaru’s soft snores filled her ears. She was always the first to fall asleep. The redhead allowed herself a moment to bask in bliss before she pressed a soft kiss against the pale flesh of Hanamaru’s neck as she closed her eyes.

This was far better than movie night would have been.


	5. Chapter 5

Dia looked down at her phone for a moment before she looked back up at the shop before her. _Matsuura Diving. Here we go._

She took a deep breath and smoothed down her skirt. Dia made her way up the stairs and into the diving shop, a bell above the door signaled her entrance. The detective quickly took note of her surroundings and found the shop to be extremely tidy. She supposed Kanan’s neat tendencies ran in the family.

“I’m sorry, I was over in the back! What can I help ya with?”

Dia’s attention turned to the elderly man behind the counter, a kind smile on his lips. She was taken aback for a moment, the man bore a striking resemblance to Kanan, his eyes the same exact shade of violet. She took a moment to compose herself and cleared her throat before she spoke.

“Hello, Matsuura-san I assume? It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Dia paused to hold out her hand. “My name is Kurosawa Dia, I work with Diver magazine. I’m here to ask if you’d allow me to interview you and feature your shop in our magazine?”

Dia wasn’t _necessarily_ lying. Her family did own the magazine, and with a few calls she’d been given the okay to interview and take photos at the small diving shop. This way, she wouldn’t feel completely guilty about tricking information out of an old man.

Matsuura shook her hand enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face that Dia couldn’t help but think was remarkably similar to Kanan’s. “An interview, for my ol’ place? I have to say, it’s an honor. Also please, call me Ren!”

Dia immediately shook her head and offered a kind smile. “I’ll have to decline Matsuura-san. I prefer to use polite speech with my peers and elders.”

Her statement earned a laugh from the old man as he made his way around the counter and to Dia’s side. “Ya know, I don’t meet young folk like you often! My granddaughter’s girlfriend started callin’ me ‘Nonno Ren’ the second she met me. Did ya know ‘nonno’ means grandpa in Italian?”

Dia barely managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Leave it to Mari to immediately shatter any boundaries, that woman sure had a way of just bursting into your life. She was a bit like a firework now that Dia thought about it, perhaps that’s why she always spouted that ‘ _shiny_ ’ nonsense.

“Enough about that, though! Take a seat! Let’s get chattin’! Whaddya want to know?”

Dia smoothed her skirt before she took a seat and pulled out her notepad. Her legs crossed and her shoulders straightened as she entered work mode. “I’ll begin with something simple. I’ve done some research and this is a family owned and run business. Your great grandfather first opened Matsuura diving and it’s been in the family ever since, correct?”

“Yup! I worked here growing up until I eventually took over the shop myself. My son worked here too, with my granddaughter up until about two years ago. He got hurt in an avalanche when they were on vacation.” Ren paused, a sad smile tugged at his lips. “Doin’ much better now, can’t exactly do a lot of the diving work he used to though.”

Dia gave him a few moments before she inquired any further. “I’m glad to hear your son is doing better, Matsuura-san. Does your granddaughter now work here in his stead?”

“Ah, Kanan, such a sweet girl. She took some time off high school to help around here and at home when he first got hurt. Girl’s got a heart of gold, I tell ya.” He paused and reached into his pocket. The owner removed his wallet and flipped it open to reveal a picture of a young Kanan trying to lift a diving tank as her grandfather laughed in the background.

A genuine smile pulled at Dia’s lips. She had to admit, it was rather endearing seeing a young Kanan working so hard. “She seems lovely. I’m glad you had someone to help you out after such a… _surprising_ accident. You said it was an avalanche, correct? That’s not something you hear everyday.”

“You’re tellin’ me! I was so surprised when I got the phone call. Apparently some sort of car race started an avalanche. Hit the slopes he and my granddaughter were skiing on. I’ll spare ya the details though, I’m sure you don’t need my sob story in your article.”

Dia figured any more prying might seem suspicious, and took note to investigate any avalanches from two years ago. “I have no problem listening to you Matsuura-san, but let’s turn to a lighter subject.” The detective paused to smile kindly at the old man.

“I’m assuming you don’t hire many employees outside of the family, so do you work here everyday? I must say, I’m impressed with your work ethic. The shop is impeccable.” Dia spoke the truth. From what she’d seen of the shop, inside and out, it was immaculate. Not to mention, she hadn’t seen one negative review for the place online. It also didn’t hurt that a little sweet talk would get the chatty diver even chattier.

“Such kind words!” Ren paused and rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner that was nearly identical to Kanan’s. They really were related. “Most days it’s just me, we aren’t too busy on the weekdays. Weekends are when all the folks are off work and wanna go for a dive, so Kanan comes down from the city every weekend to help. Brings her friends along too, they’re all such sweet girls.”

Ren reached for his wallet yet again and this time flipped over the small plastic sleeve on the inside to reveal a more recent looking group photo. Kanan was in the center in a swimsuit, arms wrapped around two young women. One had short brown hair and strikingly blue eyes, a grin on her lips as she saluted at the camera. The other had long dark hair, a shy smile on her lips as she waved at the camera. Dia’s gaze shifted to the cheery looking woman making bunny ears behind the dark haired woman.

“That’s great, Matsuura-san. I’m glad your family continues to work so passionately on the business.”

The conversation trailed off toward more content that Dia could actually use for the article. Ren then eventually showed her around and even posed for a couple of pictures. What Dia hadn’t anticipated was the sound of a car door closing with an accompanying cheerful shout followed by footsteps toward the shop.

“Ojiisan! We’re he-” Kanan’s sentence was cut short as she caught sight of Dia.

“Kanan! This here is a writer from a diving magazine! She’s writin’ an article about our shop.”

Dia immediately stepped forward and held a hand out toward Kanan. “Kurosawa Dia, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She locked eyes with Kanan and quickly glanced in an attempt to indicate that the two of them should speak privately.

“Ojiisan, the girls will help set up for today’s class. I’m going to tell Dia about our schedule and see if she’d like to stay and observe.” Kanan shot a kind smile at her grandfather and stepped away, Dia’s hand in her own.

Once they were out of earshot Dia began to speak. “Before you get angry, let me say something.” The detective paused and took a deep breath and smoothed out her skirt yet again. “I did not get Matsuura-san’s hopes up, my family owns Diver magazine. I made a few phone calls and they agreed on letting me interview the owners and take photos. I figured if I was going to use him in an attempt to get information, I’d at least do something kind in favor.”

Dia steeled herself, ready to hear some sort of angry outburst from Kanan. Instead she was met with a chuckle and a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not angry, just surprised. I didn’t expect you to come out here and use that pretty face of yours to charm ojiisan. Mari was right, you are amazing.”

The detective felt herself flush at the compliment. “I did _not_ use my looks to charm Matsuura-san. I used my years of experience to gently coerce information out of him with my impeccable undercover skills.” She scoffed, arms folded across her chest.

“Sure, if that’s how you say it happened.” Kanan paused as her gaze fell back toward the shop. “I actually do have a diving class starting soon, and since you are actually writing an article, you’re welcome to stay and get some more photos.”

Dia nodded and reached for her camera. She straightened her posture. “I will take you up on that offer. Perhaps I can use my ‘pretty face’ to charm your friends as well.”

Kanan laughed and gestured for Dia to follow. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to them, princess charming.”

“Kanan-chan! Who is this? Is this the sexy detective Mari’s been talking about?” Dia recognized the orange haired woman now speaking from the picture she’d seen earlier.

“Yup, this is her. She’s here right now as a writer though. She’s writing an article on the shop for Diver magazine. So make sure you all pose real nice for the camera~”

Dia stepped past Kanan and held out her hand. “Kurosawa Dia. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

The dark haired woman seemed ready to step forward and shake Dia’s hand, but she was stopped short by the cheery woman. “I’m Chika! Mari-chan and Kanan-chan were right. You are super pretty!”

Before Dia could even respond a soft hand was gripped hers firmly. “I’m You! Don’t mind Chika-chan, she doesn’t have much in the way of a filter.”

Chika responded with a fake pout which only caused You to laugh before she placed her hands on the redhead’s shoulders. “Don’t be shy, Riko-chan!”

“Ah, hello. I’m Riko. It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Dia-san.” The pair shook hands before Dia found Kanan’s hands on her shoulders yet again, warm breath against her ear.

“You alright? You seem a bit overwhelmed.” Her voice was so kind it caused Dia to falter. She hadn’t expected Kanan to notice, and the confirmation that the diver did indeed pay close attention to Dia made a warmth bloom in her chest.

“Ah yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” The detective turned her head toward Kanan, and immediately regretted it. She was close, far too close. Dia found herself staring at Kanan for what was far too long to be considered friendly.

“Think they’ll start making out right here?”

Chika’s voice dragged Dia out of her stupor and she stepped away from Kanan and cleared her throat. “How about we get started? Are you all okay with me taking your photographs? I have some disclosure forms I need you to sign as well.”

After some discussion and paperwork signing, Dia found herself seated alongside Chika, and Riko, while they watched Kanan and You begin the diving class. Dia found it a bit difficult to focus on what the pair were actually talking about, though. Both Kanan and You had their diving suits half off, ample chests being held back by bikinis. And _gods,_ was she a teenage boy? Why couldn’t she focus?

Kanan leaned over to pick up a mouthpiece and explained something that Dia, for the life of her, could not hear over her own heart hammering away. “She’s doing it on purpose, you know. Did the same thing for Mari-chan the first time she came along and Kanan-chan had to teach a class.”

Dia felt herself flush. _Of course_ Kanan was doing it on purpose. Despite how sweet the woman was, she was in a relationship with Ohara Mari after all. Dia couldn’t imagine anyone stayed innocent and sweet for very long once they were in her clutches. She supposed that included herself too, as much as she loathed to admit it. But she was a Kurosawa, and Kurosawas’ _never_ failed.

She steeled her resolve and focused instead on taking notes and pictures for the rest of the lesson, she even made rather pleasant small talk with Chika and Riko. Chika’s family ran an inn, and apparently she’d been friends with both You and Kanan since childhood. Riko came into the picture later on, after Chika had quite literally come crashing into her life. Chika had fallen off of a roof in front of Riko and the rest had been history. She couldn’t help but be reminded of a certain blonde racer when she saw how carefree Chika was.

Dia learned that Mari and Kanan had been dating since high school, and that the pair hadn’t taken much interest in cars until after the avalanche incident, where Kanan began to take mechanic courses. She could only assume that the accident had triggered their interest in street racing, and that once Dia did some digging, she’d actually be one step closer to finding something out about Mari.

“How’d you like the lesson?” Kanan asked as took a seat beside Dia, a smirk on her lips.

“Oh, it was very educational. Although, I’m not sure how well your class could focus with all that teasing aimed at me.” Dia responded with a small smirk of her own. She slowly crossed her legs as she held Kanan’s gaze.

“Uh huh…” Kanan’s gaze trailed off to Dia’s legs for a few moments before it snapped back up. “Stay for dinner?”

Dia was taken aback for a moment and glanced at her watch. It was dinner time already? She’d been so absorbed in her work and the genuinely pleasant conversations she’d had today, she hadn’t even realized how late it’d gotten. “If you’re trying to use your ‘pretty face’ to charm me out of investigating further, it won’t work.” She teased before she stood up. “But, I will gladly take you up on your offer. I’d like to get some family shots as well, it’ll help better showcase the familial atmosphere of your shop.”

“You know, you’re taking this pretty seriously for something that’s just a front to get more information on Mari.” Kanan seemed genuinely taken aback by Dia’s dedication to the article.

“I am a Kurosawa. Kurosawas’ go at everything they do with the utmost dedication.” Dia paused and allowed her expression to soften slightly. “And aside from my… dedication to this case and catching Ohara-san redhanded, I do find the both of you interesting… and I’m not entirely opposed to learning more about you both.”

Kanan smiled and took a step closer to Dia.

“Even if we’re _suspects._ ” Kanan’s emphasis on the word made Dia blush, as if she was doing something _uncouth_.

“That’s the thing. It’s awfully suspicious that the two of you weren’t interested in racing until your father's accident, which I truly am sorry for.” Dia paused to smooth her skirt out again in an attempt to calm her nerves. “I also trust my instincts, and as infuriating as I find Ohara-san I've come to feel that she’s no common criminal. Neither are you. So, I will get to the bottom of this, and if I have to charge you both, I will.”

This time it was Dia’s turn to place her hands on Kanan’s shoulders. “But, I have faith in the both of you, and whatever you two are up to. I will find out, and I will help you to the best of my abilities, because I know there’s more to this than the two of you want me to believe.”

And with that, Dia turned and headed toward the laughter coming from the shop. “Now, let’s get dinner. Despite Chika’s chagrin, Matsuura-san boasts a delicious grilled fish.”

Dia had to get away from the intimate situation before she said or did something that would jeopardize her case and her finding the truth. She knew the couple was hiding something. Their interest in pursuing Dia was proof of it, they were trying to throw her off. They’d thrown off every detective on the case before this. Whether it was with lack of evidence or use of their combined nearly undeniable charm, they had done it.

But Dia wasn’t going to give up. As soon as she made it home tonight, she’d begin her research on the avalanche.

_Saint Snow._

That was the reason behind this whole thing, and Dia was going to find out why.

Pulling out her phone, she shot a text to Hanamaru.

**Dia: I have a lead; an avalanche incident from two years ago known as Saint Snow. We’ll discuss it further tomorrow.**

“You’re cute when you get all hyper focused. I like it.” Kanan teased as she stepped past Dia to hold open the shop’s door for her.

“Both you and Ohara-san are terrible.” Dia grumbled and glared at Kanan as she stepped into the shop. Her mouth nearly watered at the scent of food, she was hungrier than she thought.

“Dia-chan! Come eat! I want to see all the pictures you took! Oh, will I get to be in the magazine too? Riko-chan, You-chan, we’ll be famous!” Dia could only vaguely make out Riko’s scolding after that, and You’s laughter.

“They aren’t so bad, and they seem to like you. Well then again, Chika and You-chan are just very friendly people. But, even Riko-chan warmed up to you. I guess with my friends approval, you’re one step closer to that date with Mari and I?” Kanan teased and walked away from Dia before she could respond.

_Ridiculous. Both of them are ridiculous._

The detective took a deep breath one last time before heading to the back of the shop, she could make it through dinner. Or at least she hoped so.

***

Hours passed and dinner had been fine and far less taxing than Dia had believed it would be. Chika, You, and Matsuura-san made for rather entertaining dinner guests. Riko was also very pleasant to speak to, since the two shared a love of classical music and formal fashion they spent most of dinner discussing them passionately, much to Kanan’s amusement.

Once dinner was over, Dia said her goodbyes. She assured Matsuura-san that she’d send him the very first copy of next month’s Diver magazine. To her surprise, she’d received a hug not only from the old man, but You and Chika as well. Riko, much to Dia’s comfort, had offered a gentle handshake, and promises of a lunch meetup in the future.

“I hope you had as good of a time as it looked like, or else I think you should’ve got into acting instead of police work.” Kanan teased, hands shoved into her pockets as she walked Dia to her car.

“I did have a good time, it was genuine. I’m not used to companionship outside of Kunikida-san and Ruby.” Dia paused as she carefully tried to piece together her next sentence. “I also had a good time, thanks to you. I find your company very… comforting.”

“That makes me really happy. I know our situation is… unusual, but regardless of how this all turns out, I’m glad I met you, Dia. I know Mari is glad she met you, too.” Dia felt warmth bloom in her chest yet again. Kanan was far too charming.

“You know, this would go along far more smoothly if you and Ohara-san would just cooperate with me.” Dia sighed as they approached her car and reached into her purse to remove her keys.

“Now that wouldn’t be any fun, now would it?” Kanan held up a hand as soon as she saw Dia had begun to disagree. “Let’s stop this conversation here for tonight, okay? I like you Dia, I really do, but, this is something I want to handle on my own… I didn’t even want Mari involved either, she just barged her way in.”

Kanan paused again to laugh. “She has a tendency for doing that, doesn’t she? She comes charging full speed into your life, and before you even know what hit you, you can’t imagine your life being any other way.”

“She does come charging in full speed, doesn’t she?” Dia smiled as she unlocked her doors. “I may not be as… forceful as Ohara-san, but I will not let this go. Whatever you’re up to, I will find out, and I will help you.”

The detective leaned over, lips close to Kanan’s ear. “And once I’m successful, I’ll be the one taking you and Ohara-san on a date.”

“And what if we’re guilty?”

“We’ll just have to find out then, won’t we?” Dia was sure that there was more to this story. And technically speaking, the only complaints filed against Mari were noise complaints, all of which the complainants were seemingly compensated for. Her races hadn’t injured anyone, or put anyone at risk... _yet_. Dia was going to stop this whole thing before anything could happen.

“Goodnight, Kanan-san. Make sure you tell Ohara-san I said hello.” Dia went to turn around but felt a gentle tug on her arm, she found herself face to face with Kanan, warm lips pressed against her cheek.

 “Goodnight, miss detective.” Kanan’s voice was so soft, so filled with affection that Dia nearly melted. By the time she could think properly, Kanan had walked away. Her hips swayed in a way Dia was sure was intentional.

Dia was going to get behind this, if it was the last thing she did.


	6. Chapter 6

Dia groaned as she stretched, the small pops of her shoulders and spine echoed in her apartment. She glanced at the clock and sighed, it’d been about 8 hours and more cups of coffee than she wanted to count. The detective grabbed her notepad and skimmed her notes.

So far she’d learned that the avalanche incident was caused by a pair of street racers, now named Saint Snow in honor of the accident. The avalanche hadn’t killed anyone, but had left about 10 people injured, not to mention thousands of yen worth of property damage. Two of the injured included Matsuura Makoto, and his daughter, Matsuura Kanan. Matsuura Makoto suffered a comminuted femur fracture, and a series of other small injuries that Dia felt her stomach lurch at the thought of.

Matsuura Kanan suffered a series of small injuries, her biggest injury being a cut on her lower back that required 14 stitches. Her father had shielded her during their fall down the ski slope when the avalanche occurred. Police investigated but couldn’t find out much, and the file that Dia had obtained on Saint Snow was pathetic. It was essentially just a name, some vague long distance photos of what was allegedly the pair of racers, and a list of races the pair was thought to have participated in.

The detective groaned again and removed her glasses to rub at her eyes. This was frustrating. She had a small pile of reports from the police department where the avalanche occurred, Kanan had gone there multiple times a week for 6 months following the accident. The last report filed claimed that Kanan came into the department very frustrated, and left saying that she’d take care of the matter herself.

That explained her sudden interest in racing and cars, Kanan was trying to get closer to them herself. It didn’t take much to figure out that Mari, being the eccentric millionaire she was, quickly joined in on her girlfriend’s plan.

_Idiots._

She understood how frustrating it could be when police were incompetent, or just downright uncaring, she’d seen plenty of it being in the force herself. But this was no way to solve the matter, the two of them were putting themselves in danger. Saint Snow had been linked to multiple dangerous racing incidents across the country. Their total number of injured civilians tallying up to dozens, as well as hundreds of thousands of yen in property damage.

And unlike Mari who paid off and apologized to the few who did file noise complaints for her races, Saint Snow seemed to use violence as their solution. They didn’t seem to care about who they hurt in their races, they were in it for the thrill, the glory of being elusive and dangerous.

Dia sighed and removed her hands from her eyes to put her glasses back on. She had to get to the bottom of this, she had to learn everything she could about Saint Snow. If she could prove that she had a chance of catching them, maybe she could get Kanan and Mari to pull out of this mess, before it was too late.

Her body betrayed her though and she yawned. Apparently she needed more coffee before she could continue. Getting up Dia grabbed one of the many empty mugs scattered around her desk and headed into her kitchen. She’d just started her coffee machine when she heard a knock at the door. Glancing at her stove top clock she frowned, who would be visiting her at 11 P.M. on a Sunday?

She stepped forward and looked through the peephole, the detective jumped when she was met not with a face, but with a golden iris. How on Earth did Mari get her address?

Dia took a deep breath and opened the door. She frowned as she watched Mari throw up a peace sign, Kanan stood behind her with a gentle smile on her lips. “How did you two find out where I live?”

“Pretty bomber head!” Mari called, with a satisfied grin as she stepped past Dia and into her apartment.

“What does that even mean?” Dia growled as she gently grabbed Kanan’s wrist and tugged her into the apartment before she shut the door.

Dia turned to face the two, arms folded across her chest. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed Mari and Kanan just staring at her. “What? Why are you two looking at me like that?”

“You look good with your hair up like that…” Kanan stated.

“The glasses too, you look beautiful, Dia~.” Mari ended her sentence with a small boop to Dia’s nose, causing the detective to flush even further.

“Stop trying to distract me with compliments, why are the two of you here?”

“Kanan told me about the magazine interview, I know how dedicated you are. I knew there was no way you hadn’t been holed up in here all day researching.” Mari paused to turn toward Kanan. The blonde grabbed the bag that was in her girlfriends hands. “So! We brought our pajamas and some snacks for a sleepover!”

Dia blinked for a few moments. A sleepover? Did Ohara Mari and her girlfriend just show up at her house for a sleepover? For God’s sake just how carefree was this woman?

“You came here...to have a sleepover? With the detective who is currently investigating you?”

“Sì!”

Kanan chimed in before Dia could groan at Mari’s use of Italian. “It’s already late, we came here to make sure you got some rest.” The diver stepped forward and placed a hand on Dia’s shoulder.

Mari soon followed suit and even pouted at Dia. “You’d make us drive back home? It could be really late by the time we leave. That’s dangerous, isn’t it Dia?”

Dia mentally cursed herself. She couldn’t handle having Kanan’s kind smile directed at her, and Mari’s pout, was it even legal for someone’s lips to look that kissable? _Damn it._ She was getting distracted again. As much as she loathed to admit it, Hanamaru had been right from the very beginning when she’d said Mari ‘riled’ her up.

“Fine. You two can stay. Take my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Dia sighed as she rolled her shoulders in an attempt to relieve herself of the ache that had settled there hours ago.

“No!” Mari cried out, as if Dia had said something horribly offensive. “We sleep together! There’s no way you don’t have a bed big enough for all three of us.”

“It wouldn’t be a sleepover if we all didn’t sleep together, right?” Great, now even Kanan was chiming in. There was no hope of her refusing now.

“Fine.” Dia grumbled.

“Exciting! Kanan! Get the tea going!” Mari skipped over to Kanan and pressed a light kiss to her lips before the diver removed the tea from their duffel bag and sauntered towards the kitchen.

“Now I should probably get changed...show me your room?” Mari turned to Dia and smiled, she held the duffel bag in one hand, and Dia’s own hand in the other. Dia felt her body warm up immediately in response to the touch. Mari’s skin was so smooth, and her hands were so warm in comparison to her own.

“You have cold hands, it’s nice though. I’m always so warm.” Mari hummed as she swung their hands back and forth lightly.

It was strange for Dia, hearing Mari’s voice shift from it’s usual joking tone to something more relaxed...more intimate. The blonde was always so boisterous, taking life by the hand and dragging it where she pleased. To see her so, relaxed and genuine because she was comfortable with Dia made the detective’s heart melt.

The detective had been so lost in thought that she nearly walked by her own bedroom. She cleared her throat and opened the door to her bedroom. She gestured with her free hand for Mari to enter.

“Oh! Very neat, I expected that…” Mari paused as she let go of Dia’s hand, the detective swallowed down her disappointment. The blonde stepped further into the room and pointed to a poster that made Dia flush. “I didn’t realize you were into idols. Surprising!”

“They are hardworking, and dedicated. I admire them.” Dia stated matter of factly and avoided eye contact with the blonde.

“I agree. Idols don’t get enough credit for how hard they work.” That was a response Dia hadn't expected. Most people scoffed at her love of idol culture, especially since she was such a...serious person.

Her eyes shot to Mari. But before Dia could express her joy over their shared appreciation of idols, she found herself short of breath. Mari was changing, right there, in the middle of her room, without a care in the world. The blonde lifted her top above her head, revealing a lacy purple bra.

Mari maintained eye contact and leaned forward a bit as she shuffled out of her pants. Dia’s gaze shifted down to the blonde’s matching lace panties. Dia realized she was practically ogling and turned away, a blush on her cheeks. “I-I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to just...ogle you like that.”

Dia heard a shuffle behind her before a soft touch reached her shoulder. Mari turned her around so the two of them could face each other. “Don’t apologize. I wouldn’t have changed in front of you if I didn’t want you to see.” The blonde paused, her hand made its way from Dia’s shoulder to her cheek. “I know that things are complicated for us with the whole investigation. And judging by all those cups of coffee and that notepad on your desk, you’ve learned quite a bit.”

Mari sighed, a pained expression flashed across her features for a moment. “Enough about that for tonight though, I can tell by the crinkle between your eyebrows that you’re about to go all serious detective on me. For now, let’s get you some rest, we can talk about this more tomorrow.”

Dia sighed, Mari was right, she’d been up for god knows how long, researching with nearly no breaks. Not to mention Mari’s voice was so soothing, and her smile was just so damned inviting, how could she possibly refuse?

Speaking of inviting, Kanan entered the room, a kind smile on her lips as she carried in a tray of tea. “Green tea right?” She looked over to Dia as she spoke. Her voice caused Mari to pull away with a wink and relieve Kanan of the tray.

“Yes. How did you know?” Dia paused and held a hand up. “Let me guess, pretty bomber head?”

“Sì! She catches on quickly!”

“Let’s just drink the tea.” Dia grumbled as she sat down and grabbed herself a cup. “Thank you Kanan-san.”

“No problem~.” Kanan chimed as she casually removed her own shirt. Dia nearly choked on her tea. What was with these women and just casually stripping in front of her? Were they trying to give her a heart attack?

The detective took a moment to compose herself and turned away from Kanan, her gaze found a smirking Mari instead. She couldn't win either way, or in general when it came to these two. When Dia finally faced the diver again, she sported a tank top and shorts, her hair up in a bun that the detective found entirely too endearing.

Mari was also rather perceptive, she caught Dia staring and decided to do something different with her hair as well. The blonde removed her hair loop and undid her braid. She ran her fingers through her hair before tying it into two low pigtails. Between the new hairstyles and the different attire, Dia’s heart was beating far too quickly. These women were going to be the death of her, she was positive now. How was she supposed to sleep in the same bed as them tonight and not have a heart attack?

The three finished their tea in silence, it appeared Kanan and Mari were trying to gauge the situation, before Kanan finally spoke up.

“How about we get to bed? It’s already late and you have to be up early for work tomorrow.” Kanan stood up, Mari followed suit.

“So, how are we...doing this?” Dia cursed herself for how clueless she’d just sounded.

“Sandwich!” Mari called, as if that sentence was supposed to make any sense.

In response to Dia’s incredulous look, Kanan explained. “What she means is, you in between the two of us. The three of us cuddling.”

Cuddling. The word made her flush. What was she a teenage girl? Why did cuddling embarrass her so much? Had she ever even cuddled before? She’d held Ruby before while she slept, but that couldn’t really be considered cuddling could it? That was more so her comforting her beloved sister. Was Dia going to be a satisfactory cuddler?

She was pulled from her panic by the squeaking of her bed. Emerald eyes shot to the bed where Mari was now laying down, her arms open in invitation and a welcoming smile on her lips. The idea of cuddling was suddenly not so frightening, but rather tempting for Dia. She looked at Kanan, who offered her own reassuring smile, setting Dia at ease even further.

The detective slowly climbed into bed alongside Mari, Kanan gave her a moment to settle in before she followed suit. Dia found a gentle touch on her chin, her face being tilted towards Mari. The blonde slid her hand up Dia’s cheek and removed her glasses. “As much as I love the _sexy_ detective look, you can’t sleep with these on~.” Despite her teasing words, her tone was kind, and her smile was gentle. Dia appreciated that Mari was attempting to comfort her with her ridiculous humor.

Dia took a deep breath. Both Kanan and Mari were trying so hard to comfort her, to ease her into this all since it was all so new to her. She felt she should at least show to them that she appreciated this, that she was growing more comfortable with the two of them, that _gods_ did she like these two women, despite the fact this whole relationship was entirely uncouth.

Well uncouth be damned, for once Dia was going to do something that wasn’t by the books. The detective leaned forward and pressed a soft lingering kiss to Mari’s cheek before she turned and did the same to Kanan. Unfortunately, embarrassment soon overcame Dia and she immediately shuffled further underneath the covers and covered her face with her hands. This was mortifying.

She heard a soft laugh from the pair before her light was turned off and the bed shifted, Mari and Kanan now laying beside her. “Is it okay if we hold you? Don’t feel obligated to let us. We just want you to be comfortable.” Kanan’s voice was so soothing. Not to mention she could practically feel Mari’s warmth from here, and it was so tempting.

Removing her hands from her face and attempting to keep her expression neutral, Dia nodded. “Which side are you more comfortable on?” Mari questioned, her voice low and gentle, causing Dia to flush even further.

“Right side.”

“Oh! Looks like tonight you get the Ohara special~” Mari cooed and slowly reached over to help Dia get onto her side before she wrapped one arm around the detectives waist and pulled her in close. The detective’s head was pressed comfortably against Mari’s ample chest and Dia had to agree that this was definitely special.

“Now I’m going to get behind you, okay?” Kanan added gently. Dia nodded against Mari’s chest in response. She soon felt the contrasting features of Kanan’s body pressed against her back. Her soft chest, but strikingly firm stomach and toned thighs. Her chin rested against Dia’s shoulder, warm breath tickled her cheeks in a way that was entirely too comforting, too warm, and _too right_.

Mari shifted so her and Dia’s legs were now entangled this allowed Kanan to press even closer. A muscular arm replaced Mari’s around her waist, Mari’s hand instead reached down to gently hold Dia’s leg against her body. Dia could say that this was the most comfortable she’d ever been, the safest she’d ever felt. Mari was so soft and warm against her front, whereas Kanan was firm and safe against her back. She vaguely heard Kanan asking how it was before she fell into perhaps the most peaceful sleep she’d ever had.

***

Dia heard her alarm go off and groaned. She reached an arm behind her in an attempt to hit the snooze button, but instead was met with something soft. The detective furrowed her brow and moved her hand some more, even giving a light squeeze in an attempt to figure out just what she’d grabbed in her sleepy state. As her mind grew more alert the longer she’d been awake, Dia soon realized that it was Kanan’s rear in her hand, and not her alarm clock.

She snatched her hand away and tried to slow her increased heart rate. She opened her eyes after a moment and found Mari still sleeping peacefully. The woman even grinned in her sleep, just how absurdly cute could she be? Agh, now was not the time for that. Dia turned her head behind her, to find an awake, and smiling Kanan.

“Don’t worry, I know you were reaching for the alarm.” Kanan whispered as she reached back to snooze the alarm herself.

“Ah...thank you.” Dia paused and bit at her lip before she spoke again. “Not just for that...but for everything. That was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. And I want you to know that I am very much interested in pursuing a relationship with both you and Mari.”

Dia took a deep breath in an attempt to collect her thoughts so early in the morning. “That is why, the both of you will go home, shower, get dressed and meet me in my office at noon. Where, whether you like it or not, we will discuss you trying to lure out dangerous criminals on your own with this makeshift undercover work. We will also discuss how we will catch said dangerous criminals, legally, so they can serve the time they deserve.”

Kanan was taken aback for a moment, violet eyes widened further than Dia had ever seen. Much to Dia's chagrin the shock didn't last long, and Kanan was soon settled back into her easy and welcoming expression. "Yes ma'am." 

“Good. Now that this is settled, how about five more minutes?” Dia turned and snuggled into Mari, a satisfied sigh escaped her lips as she heard Kanan chuckle behind her.

She ought to be able to enjoy this moment of peace while they still had it. Things were going to get complicated, and possibly dangerous from here on out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to update, I've been busy with a dating sim I'm making. I tried making the chapter a little longer to make up for it.! I will try updating weekly from now on! I also have another AU planned already for when this fic ends, but I still have quite a few chapters planned out for this one!

Dia sighed and took a sip of her coffee. She hoped it would help take the edge off of her headache. Despite her… touching moment with Kanan this morning, things had gotten rather hectic once Mari had woken up. The blonde had adamantly refused to get out of bed, and even went so far as to throw herself on top of Dia in an attempt to keep her in bed.

Thankfully, Kanan had been there to bribe Mari out of bed with the promise of something that made Dia feel entirely too warm.

“Are you alright? You look a bit red.” Hanamaru’s smirk made her eyebrow twitch.

“I am quite alright, thank you very much.” She set her mug down and shot Hanamaru a pout. “I’d also appreciate it if you didn’t tease me. Don’t forget that you’re in a relationship with my dear sister. I could have you sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“You and I both know she’d only last a couple of hours before letting me back into bed.” Hanamaru said with a smirk as she refilled Dia’s coffee cup.

“All teasing aside, didn’t you say they were supposed to meet you here at noon?” Hanamaru glanced at the door, a small frown on her lips.

Dia couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips. She must have glanced at the clock at least fifty times by now. “Unfortunately, knowing Ohara-san, I imagine they’ll arrive right at twelve.”

“If they arrive before noon, I’ll bring you pudding tomorrow, zura.”

Dia turned to Hanamaru, a triumphant smirk on her lips. Dia was confident she would win this bet. “If they arrive just at noon, or after, I’ll bring you some of that bread you’re always eating.”

Dia’s temporary dismay at the pair not arriving at least 15 minutes early like she had insisted this morning was quelled by her competitive spirit. She was sure to win this bet. Even if Kanan seemed to be a punctual person, Mari certainly wasn’t, and to be quite honest, Dia would be lucky if they even showed up after that bribe she’d heard this morning.

Great, now she was blushing, _again_.

The detective looked at the clock, a grin on her face. “11:59 Kunikida-san, I hope you’re prepared to buy that pudd-” Dia was cut short by a shrill and all too familiar call.

“Miss detective~!”

Her eyebrow began to twitch, _again_. Had Mari caused her to develop a permanent tick? It was quite possible. 11:59. **11:59**. Mari had chosen this one day to be punctual, if arriving a minute before your designated time could even be considered punctual. And she had been so sure of herself, which made it even worse. She was positive even Ruby would tease her about this once Hanamaru sold her out.

“It’s called nappo, make it a double order, zura.” Hanamaru stated with a pat to Dia’s shoulder and a smile on her lips.

Her partner stepped past her and made her way to where Kanan and Mari were waiting, giving Dia a moment to collect herself. Despite her smugness only a moment ago, Hanamaru really was a sweetheart.

She smoothed out her blazer and inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly.

_You can do this. You’re Kurosawa Dia. Failure is unacceptable. You will not get distracted by either of them. Smooth skin, soft lips, and silky hair will not stop you today. You will impress and convince Ayase-san._

The detective froze once she realized she’d already gotten distracted within her own thoughts. Damn it . How was she supposed to impress anyone when she couldn’t stop thinking about those two? It was infuriating! Not to mention even being in the same room as her chief was enough to get her flustered.

“You okay?”

Mari’s concerned face was now in front of her, a soft expression Dia was still surprised she was even capable of, consumed her features. It amazed her how this woman could go from purposely infuriating her, to soothing her in just a moment.

“I must admit… I’m rather nervous.” Dia paused as she looked down at her hands, she’d begun to wring them in her bout of anxiety. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Of course I’ve spoken to the chief but... those were in professional settings while surrounded by other colleagues. This seems… far more personal.”

“I’d have to say it is personal, but there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re human beings, everything is personal for us. But just because it _is_ a little personal this time, doesn’t mean that you aren’t doing your job.” Mari paused to gently grab Dia’s hands and hold them in her own. “You’re doing a wonderful job. You went undercover, figured out what was going on, the gist of it anyway, and set up a meeting with your chief. You took the time to figure out Kanan and I aren’t just some criminals doing this for the thrill… although, racing is pretty fun.”

Dia glared at Mari and removed one hand from her grasp to lightly smack her shoulder. “We’re going to pretend you didn’t say that, and you will not say that in front of Ayase-san.”

Mari laughed and rested her forehead against Dia’s, a kind smile on her lips. “Even if you can’t get us out of this your way, we’ll figure it out. Together.”

Dia felt her heart melt at Mari’s kind words and gentle expression. She let herself lean into the touch in the comfort of her office. She’d forgotten that they weren’t alone in the office until a pair of strong arms were around her waist and warm breath tickled her ear.

“Together.” Kanan whispered as she nuzzled into the crook of Dia’s neck.

“This is extremely unprofessional. I could get fired for this.”

“But you aren’t moving, miss detective~” Mari teased. The blonde pressed a soft kiss to Dia’s nose.

“She is right though. As much as I love this, it’s time we meet with… Ayase-san, was it? Not only does she need to hear… but Dia deserves a full explanation as well.” Kanan paused to remove herself from Dia before she spoke again. “It’s also in our best interest, Mari.”

“I know, I also promise I’ll behave the whole time. But!” Mari pulled away from Dia and struck a dramatic pose, her index finger touched the tip of Dia’s nose as she spoke. “I want a reward for my good behavior!”

Dia sighed. Mari really shouldn’t be rewarded for behavior that was expected of her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to say no. “Fine. We can discuss a reward… over dinner at my place.”

The detective folded her arms across her chest and looked away, cheeks tinted pink.

“Tsundere! I love it!” Mari squealed and prepared to launch herself at Dia yet again, but Kanan stepped in between the two.

“There’s time for that later Mari, let’s go. I don’t want to get Dia in trouble. Hanamaru is also still waiting for us outside the door.”

The detective turned away from the couple and opened the door to her office. On the other side of the door stood Hanamaru, a knowing smile on her lips. Dia immediately felt herself flush. Hanamaru had heard everything. First the bet, now this. Today was going splendidly.

She took a deep breath to compose herself before she stepped past Hanamaru and towards the chief's office. It was now or never. She could hear Hanamaru, Mari, and Kanan behind her, and she thanked the gods that Mari was staying quiet... for now, anyway.

The walk was far too short for Dia’s comfort, and she soon found herself in front of the chief’s door. Now or never. She repeated to herself before she knocked on the door.

Only a moment after her knock the door opened to reveal the chief of police, and Dia’s idol, Ayase Eli. Eli, formerly an undercover officer, was known for possibly one of the biggest drug busts in history. The fame of which had forced her out of her undercover position, and instead higher into the ranks, until she inevitably became the chief. Dia still recalls seeing the case all over the news when she was in high school. It’s what had drawn her to the field. Her strength, her intelligence, the ease at which she made years of work and tough choices seem so effortless. Ayase Eli was the person Dia dreamed to be, and now she was here presenting her with possibly the craziest idea.

“Kurosawa-san, Kunikida-san, and… friends.” Eli paused and her gaze narrowed. She looked past her two officers and to their guests instead. “Come in, be sure to shut the door behind you.”

The four women entered Eli’s office and sat down in the four chairs facing the woman’s desk. Dia had pictured this scenario at least a dozen times since this morning, and despite how she’d prepared her opening statement, it all seemed to slip away now that she was face to face with Eli. Thankfully, Hanamaru picked up on this quickly and spoke first.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the street racing case that’s been transferred over to Dia-san and I.” Hanamaru stated as she placed a gentle hand on Dia’s knee in an attempt to reassure her.

“Ah, the elusive street racers. Never cause any property damage, only complaints filed against them are noise complaints. All the complainants mysteriously revoke their claims.” Eli brought her gaze to Kanan and Mari. “Am I right to assume these are them?”

“I’m actually the one who races, Kanan doesn’t.” Mari smiled at Eli as she reached a hand out. “A pleasure to meet you, Chief. I’ve heard wonderful things about you. I must say, your beauty lives up to the rumors. I guess we’ll have to see about your compassion.”

That was it, Dia could feel her soul leaving her body. This is where she died. What happened to Mari saying she’d behave?!

To both Dia, and Hanamaru’s complete shock, Eli laughed. Dia could count on one hand the amount of times she’d seen Eli laugh, and those had only ever been on the rare occasion she’d seen the chief speaking on the phone to whom Dia could assume was her wife.

“I can see how you eluded us for so long. With that charm, and your wallet, I’m sure you’ve gotten away with quite a few things, Ohara-san.” Eli paused to shake Mari’s hand as her laughter died down. “Now the real question is, why have you started racing in my district? You were racing in the same area for about a year, and suddenly you’re here. Curious, isn’t it?”

Dia’s posture straightened immediately, this was the one thing she had never managed to figure out. She’d been so caught up in her frustration at the withdrawn claims and lack of evidence linking Mari to the races that she’d forgotten about it entirely.

“Oh! Story time!” Mari clapped her hands together, a grin on her lips. Kanan sighed beside her and gave the blonde a small smile. “I was driving home one night, and an officer tried pulling me over. They came pretty close to catching me, I actually barely got them off my tail. They didn’t even call for backup, it was like they were so determined to catch me themselves.”

Dia gripped the armrests of her chair rather harshly. That was Mari? It was about six months ago, Dia had been on her way home from work when she’d seen a car speeding. She’d turned on her lights and chased after the vehicle. Being the stubborn individual she was, she had refused to call for backup, insistent that she could catch the perp on her own. Unfortunately, the driver had seemingly vanished into thin air, and when she’d run the plates they came back empty, meaning they were fake. She’d been so upset by the incident she’d actually requested Eli to write her up for her failure to call for back up and catch the culprit.

“I do recall that. Do you know much trouble you put Kurosawa-san through? She came to my office demanding to be written up for her ‘failure.’”

Mari seemed surprised at that, guilty even. She clearly hadn’t realized the affect the chase had on Dia.

“Which I didn’t do, before you feel any guiltier.” Eli paused and laced her fingers together. She rested her chin atop her hands before she spoke again. “So, I’m assuming you looked into it, found Kurosawa-san and decided to start racing somewhere that you could get her attention. You’re pretty confident though. You lured her right to you, convinced you wouldn’t get caught.”

“Maybe I wanted to get caught.” The statement was directed at Dia this time rather than Eli, and it made the detective flush.

“And you, you’re awfully quiet. If she’s the racer, what are you here for? Aside from just supporting who I assume is your girlfriend.”

“I’m the mechanic.” Kanan paused, a pained expression crossed her features for only a moment. “My father and I were caught in an avalanche caused by street racers. The police never got close to catching them, so I decided to try doing it myself. I started learning how to fix racing cars and luxury cars, in an attempt to get closer to them. Once Mari found out, she insisted on helping. She’d set up the races and participate, I handled fixing her car and doing on the spot repairs. We’ve been building popularity in an attempt to lure them out. Mari had developed an interest in Dia after their first run-in. Once Dia officially picked up the case, you can say that we both took an interest, and let her get closer than either of us had set out to.”

“Avalanche? The Saint Snow incident?” Eli seemed genuinely surprised. This was clearly bigger and more complicated than she had been expecting it to be. “That’s awfully brave and foolish of you two, going after a group like that on your own.”

Eli looked nostalgic for a moment as she spoke. “I can understand where you’re coming from, though.”

Dia and Hanamaru both furrowed their brows. That was clearly something personal about Eli that neither of them were aware of. Their chief was rather private with her personal life. In fact, in the years she’d been working under Eli, she’d yet to even learn her wife’s name, or see her for that matter.

“Okay, so, long story short: civilian undercover operation, which Kurosawa-san got to the middle of because Ohara-san lured her there. I can assume the both of you are interested in Kurosawa-san if you let her get this close, which I must say, is awfully brave.” The latter part of her sentence was directed at Mari. “Now, Kurosawa-san, I’d like you to tell me what you plan to achieve by bringing them to me and having them tell me their story.”

Dia sat up completely straight and quickly thanked the heavens that they’d even made it this far. “I’ve made some calls where I have pull, and found that the information on Saint Snow is practically nothing more than a warrant, some poor photos and a list of crimes. The progress on their cases is going nowhere, and since there has yet to be an actual death because of their races, it seems they aren’t a priority for anyone right now. Our best chance at catching them is with an undercover operation.” Dia paused to gesture to Kanan and Mari. “Ohara-san and Matsuura-san are perfect for this. I’d like them to become C.I.’s since their races, and Ohara-san’s name, have increased in popularity so quickly. They’re the most likely to draw out Saint Snow if we provide them with a race enticing enough. That, of course, is where we would come in.”

This was it, this was where the plan she’d been running through her head a hundred times would finally be accepted, or denied. “I’d like to set up a fake race. Somewhere where the risk would be great enough that Saint Snow would like to join. Undercover officers would attend the race to make it as safe as possible. Depending on the location, I’d like to evacuate citizens as well, and replace them with plain clothed officers. I know it may seem like a bit much to catch a pair of street racers, but here, I’ve compiled a list of the crimes they’re wanted for.”

Dia placed a file onto Eli’s desk, which the chief immediately opened and began to look through. “It would not only be an act of justice, but it would further increase the valor of our department if we were able to put international criminals behind bars. I know that this may seem it is personal, which I admit it is. But, I genuinely want to put an end to this. Unlike Ohara-san, who hasn’t damaged any property, or hurt any civilians, these girls have caused millions of yen worth of damage, and put dozens in the hospital.”

As soon as her speech was finished, Dia inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself. Hanamaru’s sudden hand on her knee and smooth voice also offered her great comfort.

“I agree. I also feel there is no better department to handle this than the best undercover department in the city.”

_Smooth, Hanamaru._

Eli took a few moments, which practically felt like hours for Dia, to finish looking over the file. Once she had finished it, she closed it and brought her attention back to Dia, her gaze made the detective freeze. “They may not be your run of the mill criminals, but they’re dangerous nonetheless, and I agree that they should be stopped. I’ll need official reports filled out by the four of you on everything that’s happened so far, excluding any personal relations. I’ll put together a case to bring to some of my undercover colleagues. This will take some planning, but I believe we can make it happen.”

Dia’s heart felt like it might beat right out of her chest. Eli had agreed, and she looked pleased on top of it all. Her hard work had never felt more satisfying.

“Once we finish those reports we’ll start the process of making the two of you official C.I.’s. I believe it’ll be in our best interest to keep this information between those of us in this room. Even other officers are not to know unless I approve of them. It’s hard to believe that anyone who’s avoided the authorities for this long doesn’t have some leverage with them.” Eli paused narrow her eyes at Mari, who only grinned in return. “You two of course, will be pardoned for your crimes, but that’s legal speak we can save for the C.I. induction.”

The chief suddenly stood and took a deep breath. “This is not going to be easy. The four of you should expect many sleepless nights over the next few weeks as we gather all the information we can and plan this out. But I’m proud of you, Kurosawa-san. It’s a smart undercover operation, something I would’ve thought of myself.”

Dia froze upon hearing the praise. Her idol, her hero, had just offered her perhaps the highest form of praise possible.

“Should I not have said that? She seems a bit faint now?” She vaguely heard Eli say. The whole room seemed to sound like it was underwater at this point.

Ever since first seeing Eli on TV all those years ago, there was nothing Dia wanted more than to be a good a detective as she was. To hear that praise from Eli was something she’d worked hard for, and it felt like a weight being lifted off of her shoulders. She was good at her job, she was _valued_ , she was _appreciated_ , all of her hard work hadn’t been in vain.

Dia hadn’t even realized she’d been crying until a tissue was held out in front of her, a gentle expression she’d never seen Eli make painted the blonde’s features. “It’s very flattering knowing my praise means so much to you. Both you and Kunikida-san are my best detectives. I’m honored to have you two here in the 9th precinct.” The chief patted Dia’s head. She gave her just enough time to relish the touch before she stood straight yet again. “Now, I’m going to have to borrow Ohara-san and Matsuura-san for the rest of the day to work on those reports and C.I. paperwork. In the meantime, I’d like you and Kunikida-san to get me copies of all of your reports, notes, and any other evidence pertaining to the case. I’ll also need you two to start researching possible race sites, preferably something dangerous with as few civilians as possible.”

Dia stood up straight and immediately regained her composure. “Yes, Chief!”

Eli stepped around her desk and placed a hand on Mari and Kanan’s shoulders. “I’ll send these two your way once I’ve worked them plenty. Meet me in my office at 8 A.M. sharp tomorrow. We’ll be holding a meeting once I’ve conferred with my colleagues and have sufficiently read up on the case.” Her words made the couple pale.

The detective took that as her cue to leave and offered Kanan and Mari a small and reassuring nod before she bowed to her chief alongside Hanamaru and left. She had to admit she did feel a bit bad that they would be stuck with Eli for what she assumed would be well into the night. The chief was known to be compassionate, but she also really knew how to work her officers.

With the door now shut behind them, Hanamaru spoke up. “Well, that went well, zura.”

“Hmph, of course it did. With the two of us on the case, it was only a matter of time.” Dia hoped her smug tone masked her complete and utter excitement. She was practically squealing on the inside. Not only had her plan been approved, but Eli had complimented her on it, for her it was practically the praise of a goddess.

“Well, time to get to work. We should try to finish up as soon as possible, I’m sure you want to be home when Ayase-san sets those two free.” Hanamaru paused to smirk at Dia. “You’ll also have to get up extra early to get me my reward before we come in tomorrow, zura~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting a small chapter tomorrow with Kanan and Mari coming back to Dia's place very sleepy after spending the day with Eli.


	8. Technically 7.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the little in between chapter I promised. I hope you like it.

It was around 8 P.M. when Dia had finally arrived back to her apartment. She’d spent all day with Hanamaru, making copies of everything they had pertaining to the case, and combing over what felt like one of those ‘Ten most dangerous places in Japan!’ articles. Each location made Dia feel more and more ill, she wasn’t looking forward to having to stage a race at any of these places, even if it was fake.

The detective removed her shoes with a sigh and made her way to her bedroom she pulled her hair into an impromptu bun along the way. She wondered how much longer Eli would have Kanan and Mari, she was ready for bed already. The thought made her blush immediately. Gods, she was already waiting for them to come home so she could go to bed. One night of cuddling and she was hooked.

_Those girls will be the death of me._

Perhaps a bath would take her mind off things, and help time pass quickly. The detective grabbed a change of clothes from her room and avoided all eye contact with her bed. _Do not think about cuddling. Do not think about it._

Dia continued to chant that to herself like a mantra even as she undressed herself in the bathroom. She took her time washing herself and hummed softly as the warm water eased the tension in her body. Perhaps she should start stretching more often, hunching over her computer at work was beginning to make her awfully sore. The detective placed her shower head back and took a mental note to research some stretches later on as she made her way over to her tub, a small smile on her lips.

Dia’s bathroom was definitely where her...luxurious side came out. The room itself was far too big for a person living on their own, never mind the large tub that Dia was sure could fit at least 3 people comfortably. As odd as it may seem, Dia just loved bathing. The warm water against her skin, the satisfaction of being clean, being alone with your own thoughts and relaxing after a long day. Her secret collection of bath bombs and soaps also made it far more fun.

She added a rose scented soap to the bath, her smile grew as she watched bubbles form alongside the warm water. The detective turned off the faucet and slid into the tub. A content sigh escaped her lips as she sank even further into the bubble bath. Nothing could ruin the utter joy she felt when she was able to relax in the bathtub like this.

“Honey we’re home~!”

Dia jumped and hit her head against the wall she’d been resting her head on. She hissed in pain and rubbed her head just as the bathroom door was flung open.

“Eh? You didn’t even wait for us to get back before you got into the bath!” Mari whined as Dia yelped and frantically tried to cover herself.

“Y-you can’t just barge in here! I locked the door! How did you even get in?!”

“She took your spare key.” Kanan chimed in from behind Mari.

They were so casual, how could they be so casual about this?! They just barged into her apartment, into her bathroom while she was bathing for god’s sake!

“F-forget it! That doesn’t matter right now! Get out!” Dia grabbed the closest thing to her and threw it at Mari, her other arm firmly wrapped around her chest.

To her dismay Mari caught the item and looked it over. “Oh! Dia likes rubber duckies! Kanan look it even has a detective hat!”

Dia sank further into her tub and debated on how long it would take for her to drown. After being complimented by her idol today she could die happy right? Maybe drowning wasn’t so bad.

The sound of her shower running pulled her from her thoughts. The detective looked over and immediately regretted the decision. Mari was undressed, _already_. How did this woman strip so quickly? The blonde was rinsing herself off as if this was her own bathroom, not a care in the world for the flustered Dia sitting only a few feet away.

“M-Mari-san! W-what are you doing?!” Dia’s pitch rose with her embarrassment. “Y-you can’t just…” The sentence was cut short by Kanan joining in. “Not you too!”

 _God. I have done nothing to deserve this._ **_Nothing._ ** _Why are you doing this to me? My heart can’t take it._

“Your bathroom is more than big enough for all three of us. It’s been a long day, why not relax while taking a bath together? Nothing has to happen. Just a bath between three women who are tired and care about each other.” Kanan stated as if this was some completely normal circumstance.

“Also! We’re saving water Dia! Save the penguins!”

“Penguins? Penguins have nothing to do with this!” Dia cried, knowing this was an argument she had no hopes of winning.

It’s not that Dia was _against_ the idea of bathing with them, she just wasn’t used to this sort of intimacy. Not to mention having two bodies like that in front of her was beginning to make her feel inadequate. The detective glanced down at her own chest with a frown.

“They’re fine the way they are.” Kanan interrupted, practically reading Dia’s mind as she slid into the bath tub on Dia’s left. Mari followed suit and joined in on Dia’s right with a smile on her lips.

The detective gulped, heart beating wildly. Mari had removed her braid and hair loop and tied hair up into a bun that Dia found far too attractive. Kanan had her hair tied up in a bun as well, drawing Dia’s gaze to her exposed neck. _Don’t stare. Don’t stare. Don’t stare._

She turned her gaze away and opted to stare straight ahead instead, even as she felt Mari and Kanan’s shoulders touch her own as the girls leaned against her. “Elicchi worked us hard today, this is nice.”

**_Elicchi?!_ **

“E-Elicchi? You c-can’t just give her a nickname like that!”

“Eh? She said her wife calls her that and she laughed when I did it too, it’s fine!” Mari pouted as her arms wrapped around Dia’s waist. She snuggled into the brunette with a whine. “I’m beginning to think you like her more than you like us.”

Dia froze and immediately feelt guilty. “That’s not true! I admire Ayase-san, she’s the reason I became a detective. I just find it extremely unprofessional to call her by a nickname after just meeting her.” The detective paused, trying to piece together her words carefully. “I don’t see her...that way. I’ve never really seen anyone that way...until I met the two of you. This is all very new for me…”

She felt vulnerable admitting that. Kanan and Mari were her first experience with romance. Kanan and Mari seemed so _experienced_ , what if they no longer wanted to deal with Dia’s inexperience? Another pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Kanan had joined in and snuggled into Dia’s other shoulder. “You know this is new for us too. It’s always been Mari and I...I mean sure we’ve had some flings here and there, but romantically speaking, it’s always been just us.”

Mari then took over, breath warm against Dia’s collar. “But then you came in, so beautiful and determined. So understanding and compassionate. How could we not fall for you? I was a little scared at first telling Kanan about my crush on you...but then she met you and was just as smitten.”

Dia felt her whole body flush. She’d been complimented on her beauty and work ethic before, but it had never felt quite as genuine as it had coming from Kanan and Mari.

“We heard from Hanamaru that you’d probably be home taking a bath, since it’s what you do to relax. So I thought maybe it’d be nice for us to relax together? Especially after today...your boss nearly worked us as hard as you do!”

That earned a laugh from Dia. Eli was known for working her officers to their full potential. “I’m surprised by how well she seemed to handle Mari-san.” Dia admitted.

“Excuse you! I’ll have you know she loved me! Just like everyone else does!” Mari pouted into Dia’s neck.

“Apparently her wife is very similar to Mari, I think she handled her even better than I do.” Kanan confessed and laughed as she recalled to Dia how the chief had returned all of Mari’s random bouts of Italian with random bouts of Russian.

Dia listened as the pair told her more stories, her arms finding their way around their waists as their stories continued, the warm water and good company easing the ache in her bones.

“You’re off this weekend right?” Kanan asked as she lifted her head from Dia’s shoulder to look at her.

“Given that I don’t have a mountain of work to do thanks to you two yes, I should be available.”

“Let’s do something!” Mari called and removed herself from Dia just enough to make eye contact with the brunette.

“And what exactly is ‘something’? I like having concrete plans you know.”

“Let us surprise you! We want to do something fun together before we get too busy to spend much time together...not to mention Eli-san said we have to be careful about being seen together in public, especially once we pick a time and place for the race…”

The latter part of Kanan’s statement made the three of them frown. Dia had grown rather accustomed to having the pair around, even if Mari was infuriating sometimes, they pushed her out of her comfort zone and into places she found just as enjoyable. She’d always been the type that was too scared to try new things, after all, Dia hated failure, and you tend to fail when you try new things. But Kanan and Mari made trying new things exciting, it wasn’t about failing or succeeding with them so much as it was about having fun, and being happy, and gods did they make her happy.

“Fine! But I expect an exact meeting time, location, and to be told what I should be wearing. Also if I need to bring anything special with me. I’d like to be prepared as possible.”

“Yes!” Mari cried and leaned forward to press a kiss against Dia’s cheek, Kanan soon followed suit.

Dia turned and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks in return, managing to last about a thirty seconds before the embarrassment became too much and she sank further into the water.

Kanan and Mari laughed and sank in further alongside Dia. “So, do you only collect detective themed rubber duckies?” Kanan asked, which caused Dia to groan.

“His name is Quackston, and he’s a brilliant detective.” Dia grumbled, arms folded across her chest as she turned her pout to Kanan.

Kanan immediately began to laugh, causing Dia to flush even further. “D-don’t laugh at Quackston!”

Kanan shook her head and pointed behind Dia. The detective shifted to see what the diver was referring to before she found laughter welling within herself as well. Mari was sitting behind Dia stroking what was perhaps the most well crafted bubble beard Dia had ever seen. The blonde even gave herself long and wispy eyebrows to match.

“Rubber duckies! Back in my day we used to swim in the river with the actual ducks!” Mari cried in what was an attempt at a deep old man voice, causing Kanan and Dia to laugh even more.

“Come on Dia! Let’s give you a mustache like Quackston.” Mari broke character to scoop up some bubbles.

Dia couldn’t help but admire the concentrated expression on Mari’s face as she sculpted a mustache onto Dia’s lip. She tried her best to sit still since every movement earned her a pout.

“Perfetto!”

Mari crossed her arms over her chest, clearly proud of her work.

“Let me see.” Kanan said as she leaned forward to look at Dia.

The diver immediately began to laugh, the sound soon had Mari and Dia joining in as well. This was definitely something Dia had never imagined herself doing. Sitting in a bathtub with two beautiful woman, two beautiful woman that _liked her_ , playing with bubbles and enjoying themselves.

“Thank you…” Dia said once her laughed died down. “Thank you for just being yourselves and including me in your relationship.”

Kanan and Mari were quiet for a moment and Dia hoped that her bubble mustache hadn’t ruined her statement.

“You don’t need to thank us. We wanted this. We want you.” Kanan said as she began to wipe away Dia’s mustache.

“And we want this to work. We’re going to pull this off, put those two behind bars, and live happily ever after.” Mari grinned and Dia let loose a shaky laugh, wiping away the blonde’s eyebrows and beard as tears stung at her eyes.

“There’s nothing I’d love more.” Dia admitted as she let herself enjoy their embrace.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby comes over and helps Dia get ready for her first date with Kanan and Mari.

“You can do this. It’s just a date you’ve been on dates before.” Dia paused and frowned. “Not any dates that you’ve actually looked forward to though. And certainly not any dates with two very distracting women.”

The brunette groaned, her panic set in yet again. Could she really do this? She’d never liked anyone before Kanan and Mari, this was all entirely new to her and to be quite frank, she was _afraid_. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be good enough, that Kanan and Mari would decide that having Dia in their relationship would be too much, that they didn’t want her anymore.

“Onee-chan! I’m here!”

The familiar call tossed all of her negative thoughts aside and warmed her heart. She made her way to the living room, arms already spread open inviting Ruby in for a hug.

“It’s good to see you Ruby.”

Ruby was in her arms in no time and Dia felt the all too familiar comfort take her over. She was _so_ thankful to have a sister like Ruby, and equally as proud. She’d grown from being the timid girl she once was and instead into a kindhearted and hardworking woman. Not to mention she was always there for Dia without fail. Nowadays it felt more like Ruby was her older sister.

Ruby pulled back from the embrace and grinned. “I’m happy to see you too. Let’s get you ready for your big date!”

And with that Dia was being pulled back into her bedroom by a very enthusiastic Ruby. Her panic set in again almost immediately.

“What do I even wear Ruby? They told me to dress casual, do I even own anything casual aside from my gym wear? They also won’t tell me where we’re going so I can’t prepare myself properly!” Dia rambled as Ruby sat her on the bed and raided her closet.

“Onee-chan everyone has different definitions of casual. Just because casual for some people may be jeans and a shirt doesn’t mean it has to be that way for you. We’ll just find you something that’s comfortable and looks good!” Ruby paused and peeked her head out of the closet with a bright smile. “Leave it to me!”

Dia took a deep breath, she was in good hands. Ruby had made a promising career in both fashion and graphic design, if there was anyone that could make her look her best for her date, it was Ruby.

“I’m surprised you didn’t bring Hanamaru-san.” Dia stated in an attempt to shift the conversation away from her worries.

“Hanamaru-chan get’s to see you almost everyday, this is my time.” Ruby paused as she held a top and a bottom. “Besides she’s with Yoshiko-chan today, she’s getting her moped fixed and Hanamaru-chan wanted to make sure she doesn’t go overboard like she did last time…”

Ruby frowned at the top and bottom she had and returned them to the closet, leaving Dia enough time to recall Yoshiko and her moped. Ruby had met Yoshiko in high school, and although the young woman could be a bit overwhelming with her talk of fallen angels, she was a sweet girl. That damned moped though, what had she callen it? Cerberus? It was pitch black and covered in very detailed flames. She’d paid a small fortune to get it painted and to install some ridiculous horn into it. Dia was glad Hanamaru was there to keep an eye on her.

“Okay! Try this on!”

Dia took the outfit Ruby held out to her and began to put it on.

“You know we should go shopping sometime, most of your wardrobe consists of suits onee-chan.”

Dia buttoned her pants and frowned at Ruby.

“Suits are practical. I don’t go out much aside from work anyway, why should I waste money on clothes I won’t wear.”

“Hmm I don’t know, I feel like you’ll be going out a lot more from now on~.”

Dia turned her head away and coughed lightly as she pulled the shirt on. Ruby had clearly learned a thing or two about teasing her older sister from her time with Hanamaru.

“Oh that looks good!” Ruby said with a little clap and a proud grin.

Dia turned to her stand-up mirror and looked herself over. The white turtleneck was simple and practical for the cold weather. The black pants were comfortable and practical as well and the black boots and red pea coat to be added before she left would pull it together nicely.

“Thank you Ruby, this is perfect.” The brunette turned away from the mirror and smiled at her younger sister, whose expression shifted from proud to contemplative.

“Let me put your hair up, it’ll look great!” Ruby had already moved to grab the brush and an elastic off of Dia’s desk. It appeared she didn’t have much say in the matter.

“You’re a bit biased in that department, you love when I put my hair up.” Dia stated but sat at the foot of her bed nonetheless.

“Because you always wear it down onee-chan, it’s so pretty when it’s up!” Ruby situated herself behind Dia and began to brush her hair. “Besides, all of this is new for you right? Why not try something a little new!”

Ruby did have a point. Her life had been filled with a lot of new things since Kanan and Mari had come crashing into it. And if Dia had to admit it, as nerve wracking as it was at times, it was nice to try new things, to do something different from the routine she’d followed for so long.

When Ruby finished her hair Dia turned and placed her forehead against her sister’s. “Thank you.”

Ruby smiled and pushed gently into the touch. “Always.” She responded.

The two stayed in silence for a moment and enjoyed the moment of calm. Since they’d grown up they didn’t spend nearly as much time together, and there was this certain sense of comfort and familiarity you could only get when around a sibling. It was nice to be with Ruby, even if it was only for a short while.

“We should go out for lunch this week, I’ll tell you all about how the date went.”

Ruby perked up, her eyes sparkled in a way that reminded Dia of their childhood. Ruby was still Ruby, no matter how much time passed.

“Can we get crepes after lunch?”

Yup, she truly was Ruby.

“I think Hanamaru-san is rubbing off on you Ruby, your appetite will rival hers soon.” Dia teased, a smirk on her lips as she stood and ruffled Ruby’s hair.

“It’s not my fault she brings so much yummy food home.” Ruby pouted as she stood and headed for the living room. “Come on, I know how you insist on being at least half an hour early.”

“Ah, you know me so well.”

She could hear Ruby’s small chuckle as she grabbed her peacoat and boots and made her way into the living room. She glanced at the clock on her wall, if she left soon she’d make it to their meetup location half an hour early. Although she wasn’t quite sure Mari had insisted on them meeting somewhere and _then_ going to their date location together. She supposed it was part of Mari’s ridiculous surprise. Knowing Mari, she’d probably try to blindfold Dia the whole way there.

Dia shook the thought from her mind, Mari was a bit crazy, but not that crazy.

“Oh that looks so good!” Ruby squealed as she looked over Dia.

The brunette had been so lost in thought she hadn’t even realized herself that she’d putten on her coat and shoes. It all felt far more real now that she was dressed and panic began to set in yet again.

Ruby was by her side in an instant, recognizing the shift in Dia’s mood. “Hey, look at me.”

Dia turned her attention to Ruby, those impossibly genuine eyes looking back at her so intently. “You’ll be okay. They really care about you. You really care about them. You’ll have a great time and if anything is too much for you tell them, they’ll respect your boundaries just like always. And if it really is too much for you, I’ll come get you and I’ll buy you all the pudding you can eat.”

Dia felt tears settle in the corners of her eyes as Ruby finished speaking. Gods, she really had grown into a splendid young woman. How many times had this been vice versa? Dia comforting a nervous Ruby filled with self doubt. Now here she was being comforted in a way she never could have imagined possible from Ruby. Dia was so proud.

“You know I’m beginning to feel like the younger sister.” Dia teased as she wiped away her tears and smiled at Ruby.

“It’s okay, you’ll always have the height advantage at least onee-chan.” Ruby grinned and pulled Dia into a tight hug. “You’ll be just fine, I know it. Now get out there and show them what the Kurosawa’s are made of.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Ruby giggled and gently pushed Dia towards the door. “Go on, I’ll clean up a bit then lock up. Text me when you get home safe.”

Dia nodded and grabbed her bag and keys before stopping at the sound of Ruby’s voice just as she opened her front door.

“Ganbaruby onee-chan.”

In that moment Dia felt every bit of confidence pouring back into her. It had been a long time since Ruby had wished her luck like that, and it put a spring in her step.

“Thank you Ruby.”

And with that Dia was off to meet Kanan and Mari for their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it took me so long to update. I've been super busy between all the planning I did for the delayed viewing in NYC, getting a new job and working on a yuri visual novel. I'll be back to updating regularly. I initially planned on this chapter being the date chapter but after this last episode I needed to get some Ruby and Dia interaction in because I love them so much. I also feel terrible about making Saint Snow villains, but I started this fic before season 2 even aired. Saint Snow will be good guys in my next fic though I promise. 
> 
> Also this isn't proofed so I'm sorry if there's any errors I currently don't have a proof reader.


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